Amidst the ongoing tussle for the Lok Sabha Speaker's election in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, the NDA led by the Bharatiya Janata Party has once again nominated Om Birla as its candidate. Meanwhile, the opposition has declared K. Suresh as their candidate.
The opposition was initially insistent on the Deputy Speaker's post, demanding that they would support an NDA candidate for Speaker but expected the Deputy Speaker position in return. However, when consensus couldn't be reached, they nominated their own candidate.
On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that they had received a call from Rajnath Singh. He suggested the opposition should unify in support of the Speaker post. 'We agreed to support the Speaker but maintained that the opposition should secure the Deputy Speaker role,' he added. Gandhi also critiqued Prime Minister Modi for not fulfilling promises and indicated their support hinges on securing the Deputy Speaker position.
Key NDA Meeting in Progress
Amid preparations for the Lok Sabha Speaker's election, NDA has revealed its candidate proposer. State Finance Minister Pankaj Chaudhary has been appointed. This comes before the nomination deadline, with leaders including HD Kumaraswamy, Jeetanram Manjhi, Chirag Paswan, and others meeting with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for significant discussions.
Opposition Nominates Speaker Candidate
Considering today was the last day for Speaker nominations, the opposition has also announced their candidate. Tomorrow's election will mark a historic first for India, as this is the first time there will be an election for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post.
The Power Dynamics in Lok Sabha
Discussing the number game in Lok Sabha, the BJP is the largest party with 240 seats but did not reach the magical number of 272 needed for the absolute majority. NDA's strength lies at 293 seats, while Congress secured 99 seats, but after Rahul Gandhi relinquished one of his two winning seats, their numbers reduced to 98. The Congress-led India Block has 233 MPs, with 16 others including seven independents also making it to the Parliament.
