Om Birla to Seek Re-Election as Lok Sabha Speaker, Nomination Process to Begin Shortly

BJP’s Om Birla served as the Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha. According to sources, Mr. Birla is expected to file his nomination at 11:30 am today. The opposition INDIA bloc is unlikely to contest the post, and Mr. Birla is likely to be elected unopposed, as reported by sources.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected by a simple majority vote of the Members of Parliament. The BJP, with its strong majority after the 2014 and 2019 elections, previously nominated Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla for the role. However, this time, the BJP, despite being the single-largest party in Parliament with 240 seats, is 32 seats short of the majority.

This means it relies on Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to remain in power. The Opposition has demanded the right to select the deputy speaker. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has already made it clear to senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh that the Deputy Speaker should be from the Opposition benches.

He stressed that while the Opposition wants consensus, it is essential to follow healthy traditions, according to sources. Earlier today, Mr. Birla held talks with PM Modi ahead of the second day of Parliament.