Lok Sabha Speaker Election: K Suresh vs Om Birla- Government vs Opposition Contest for First Time in Decades

The Speaker and his/her deputy are usually elected by consensus between all parties. The election is scheduled for 11 am tomorrow, between the BJP’s Om Birla and the Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh.

Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, is likely to win given the BJP-led alliance’s majority. The Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority, and the ruling coalition can call on 293 votes to the INDIA bloc’s 232.

After filing his papers, Suresh stated, “This is the party’s decision… not mine. There is a convention that the Deputy Speaker will be from the opposition, but they (the BJP) are not ready to do this.

We were waiting till 11.50 am, but there was no response. So we filed the nomination.”

Union Minister Piyush Goyal countered the claim, stating there is no precedent to suggest the Deputy Speaker’s post must go to a member of an opposition party. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met INDIA bloc leaders and were informed that consensus was not a problem, as long as the Deputy Speaker’s post is allotted to the opposition.

It was revealed that in the first Modi government, the Deputy Speaker’s post was awarded to an ally of the ruling BJP. Unfortunately, the meeting with the opposition leaders did not go as hoped.

The INDIA bloc said it was ready to support Mr. Birla’s candidate providing it was given the deputy’s post. Sources indicated that the BJP was not forthcoming on this demand, reportedly wanting immediate consensus for Mr. Birla and suggesting a decision on his deputy would be made later.

Efforts to build consensus with the opposition were met with opposition leaders demanding a commitment from the BJP, with the party indicating its unwillingness to offer such an assurance. The BJP ultimately accused the opposition’s “lack of commitment” for the failure of consensus.

While the INDIA bloc was waiting for the BJP’s response, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi referred to media reports that quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling on the opposition to work “constructively” with his government. There were reports that the BJP was considering appointing Bhartruhari Mahtab, its MP from Cuttack in Odisha, as Speaker but later clarified that it would retain the key position.