In the first trial of strength on the floor of newly-elected Lok Sabha, lower House of Indian parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance emerged triumphant when its candidate Om Birla was elected to the post of the House Speaker.
Birla, the lawmaker from Kota, Rajasthan, was elected as Lok Sabha Speaker by voice vote for the second time in a row.
The opposition INDIA bloc too had put up a candidate against Birla but did not press for a division of votes after pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Birla as elected, saying the “ayes have it”.
With Birla’s election, Mahtab said, the other motions to propose and the second candidature of K Suresh, eight-time Congress MP, became infructuous, our New Delhi correspondent reports.
Birla was expected to win even in the case of division vote as the Lok Sabha arithmetic is clearly in favour of NDA which has a strength of 293 in the 543-strong House as against 231 of the opposition.
Modi and leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi, congratulated Birla as he took charge. While Indian PM Modi lauded the milestones under Birla’s first term as Speaker from 2019 to 2024, Rahul Gandhi urged the newly-elected Speaker to ensure the opposition gets its voice in the House.
Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were joined by Rahul Gandhi in escorting Birla to the Speaker’s chair after his election, marking a moment of rare bipartisan harmony after a day of acrimony between the ruling alliance and opposition parties over the poll for the post.
A rare contest for the Speaker’s post had looked likely after NDA and opposition INDIA bloc led by Congress failed to reach a consensus last night when the opposition decided to field its candidate K Suresh, the senior most lawmaker, against Birla for the post of Speaker.
The ruling coalition turned down the opposition’s demand for the post of Deputy Speaker as a pre-condition for facilitating a consensus on a fresh term for Birla as new Speaker.
