Days after the Opposition’s INDIA bloc insisted that the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post must be allocated to the BJP’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, the Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party appear to have different opinions on the vexed topic. While Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) said it will back the BJP’s decision, N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP said the partners of the ruling alliance must finalise a consensus candidate. The Deputy Speaker’s post is not allocated to the opposition parties, they may nominate a candidate for Speaker in the 18th Lok Sabha. Previously, the BJP’s Om Birla was the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha, with the Deputy Speaker’s office remaining vacant.
“In pursuance of sub-rule (1) of Rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the President has been pleased to fix Wednesday, the 26th of June, 2024, for holding the election to the office of speaker, Lok Sabha”, read the official release.
“JDU (Janata Dal-United) and TDP (Telugu Desam Party) are strongly in NDA. We will support the person nominated (for Speaker) by the BJP,” Tyagi told media.
TDP national spokesperson Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy, on the other hand, told The Indian Express that NDA partners must jointly decide the candidate.
“The NDA partners will sit together and decide who our candidate for the Speaker is going to be. Once a consensus is reached, we will field that candidate and all partners, including the TDP, will support the candidate,” he told the media.
The opposition’s INDIA bloc gained 233 seats, marking a resurgence. Despite this, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed the government for a third consecutive term but faced losses in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. Both NDA and INDIA are keen on speaker;s post as it symbolises strength and control over the legislative process in the Lok Sabha
Birla was elected as the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha in June 2019, following a motion for election moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Birla was fielded from Kota by the BJP, and he bagged the Parliamentary seat with a margin of over 41,139 votes.
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