Today marks the second day of the maiden session of the 18th Lok Sabha. The oath-taking ceremony for the members continues today after Prime Minister Modi and 266 MPs took their oaths yesterday. The remaining representatives will swear in today. Additionally, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will announce its candidate for the Speaker today, after a significant late-night meeting between Home Minister Amit Shah and JP Nadda.
In fact, today is the final day for submission of nominations for the position of Lok Sabha Speaker. Therefore, the NDA's candidate must file their nomination before 12 PM today. The election for the Speaker will be held tomorrow after the nominations are filed.
- 12:05 PM
Congress fields K. Suresh against Om Birla
For the first time in the country's history, an election will be held for the Speaker's position. While Om Birla is the NDA's candidate for Speaker, the INDIA block has nominated K. Suresh as its candidate. Both candidates have submitted their nominations, setting the stage for tomorrow's election for the Lok Sabha Speaker.
- 11:33 AM
Pankaj Chaudhary to propose, significant meeting at Rajnath Singh's residence
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated, 'We received a call from Rajnath Singh of the opposition, stating that there should be a consensus on the Speaker's position. We responded that we would support the Speaker, but the Deputy Speaker's position should be given to the opposition. Rajnath Singh had said he would call Mallikarjun Kharge back, but that call hasn't come yet. Modi says one thing and does another. We will only extend our support if the opposition is granted the Deputy Speaker's position.'
- 11:12 AM
Om Birla to be NDA's Lok Sabha Speaker candidate
The candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker from the NDA is nearly decided. The NDA is moving forward with the name of Om Birla for the Speaker's position. Om Birla will file his nomination for the role of Speaker around 11.30 AM today.
- 10:51 AM
Amit Shah and JP Nadda in crucial meeting
Before the announcement of the Lok Sabha Speaker's name, a significant meeting is taking place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Om Birla. This meeting is also attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP Chief JP Nadda.
- 10:43 AM
Meeting between PM Modi and Om Birla
In the Parliament building, a meeting is ongoing between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Om Birla. The nomination for the NDA's Speaker candidate will happen today at 12 PM. An agreement appears to have been reached regarding the position of Deputy Speaker for the opposition.
- 10:33 AM
Om Birla arrives at Parliament
BJP Member of Parliament Om Birla has arrived at the Parliament. Birla is a three-time winner from the Kota Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan and is the incumbent Speaker.
- 10:29 AM
What does MP Muhammad Basheer say?
IUML party MP ET Muhammad Basheer remarked that a consensual election of the Speaker would be ideal. He opined, 'The Deputy Speaker's position is traditionally offered to the opposition. It's a very healthy democratic tradition. We should discuss the matter concerning the Speaker’s role.'
- 10:26 AM
Consensus built for Speaker's election
The NDA's efforts to elect a Speaker have been fruitful. A consensus has been reached between the NDA and the INDIA block. The NDA will field the candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker, while the opposition will not put forward a nominee. Sources suggested that if a consensus is reached with the opposition parties on the Speaker's name, the Deputy Speaker's position could be allocated to them.
- 10:18 AM
Efforts to reach consensus on Speaker's name
Sources say if an agreement can be achieved with opposition parties concerning the Speaker's name, then the Deputy Speaker's position could potentially be offered to them. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju have been consistently working towards this. In addition, CM of Tamil Nadu and DMK leader MK Stalin, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee have been consulted on this matter.
- 10:11 AM
NDA's Speaker candidate to convene
The NDA's candidate for Speaker will file a nomination today. At 11:30 AM, all NDA leaders will gather at the Parliament building, after which they will proceed to file the nomination papers together.
