Om Birla Vs K Suresh: Lok Sabha prepares for landmark election for speaker’s post

Hyderabad/New Delhi: For the first time in the history of the Indian Parliament, the post of the speaker is witnessing an election after the ruling government and the Opposition failed to reach a consensus.

The Opposition agreed to support the government’s choice of speaker only if their choice of deputy speaker is accepted. When this wasn’t acknowledged, it triggered a historic election for the post of the speaker.

The INDIA bloc leaders of the Opposition have nominated Member of Parliament K Suresh for the speaker’s post. He is an eight-time MP from the Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.

On the other side, the ruling NDA has re-nominated MP Om Birla for the post of speaker. Birla is from Kota in Rajasthan, representing the House for the third term.

The first election for the Speaker’s post was in 1925

The first election for the speaker’s post was during pre-independence on August 24, 1925, when the Swaraj Party nominee Vitthalbhai J Patel won with a narrow margin of two votes against T Rangachariar. Patel polled 58 votes while Rangachariar polled 56 votes.

Why is the post of speaker important in the Parliament?

Article 93 of the Constitution states that the Lok Sabha shall choose two members to be its speaker and deputy speaker.

Advocate BV Seshagiri said, “Besides the management of business affairs, the speakers fulfil two significant Constitutional duties: certifying bills as money bills (wherein the Rajya Sabha’s involvement is restricted) and adjudicating on disqualification cases under the Tenth Schedule for defection. In discharging these roles in the past, the speakers have invariably favoured the ruling dispensation, something that should be eschewed.”

In the Lok Sabha, the speaker and the deputy speaker are elected from among its members by a simple majority of members present and voting in the House. As such, no specific qualifications are prescribed for being elected as the speaker. The Constitution only requires that the speaker should be a member of the House.

No deputy speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha

There was no deputy speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha. The deputy speaker position is traditionally given to the Opposition.

However, the BJP had appointed its ally AIADMK’s M Thambidurai as the deputy speaker in 2014. Since 2019, the post is vacant. In both the 16th and the 17th Lok Sabha, there was no Leader of the Opposition as the Congress did not have enough numbers.

Fight for the deputy speaker

Asserting the Opposition’s choice for the deputy speaker post, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “In the meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh, the entire Opposition had said that they will support the speaker but the deputy speaker post must be given to us. Rajnath Singh said that he would call Mallikarjun Kharge but there was no call so far.”

The deputy speaker is an important Constitutional officer who steps in during the vacancy or absence of the speaker. The convention of offering the post of deputy speaker to the Opposition started in 1991. Thereafter, till the 16th Lok Sabha this has been followed without a break.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan Singh) said, “KC Venugopal and TR Baalu discussed the choice of Lok Sabha speaker with Rajnath Singh who asked for support for the post of speaker. Although Venugopal asked Rajnath to accept their choice for the deputy speaker’s post, Rajnath Singh insisted on further discussions for deciding the deputy speaker and placed conditions for it. They want to run the democracy on the basis of conditions, they want to do politics of pressure.”

The Congress has asked all its 100 MPs to be present in Parliament tomorrow from 11 am onwards till the adjournment of the House without fail.