(HT)
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday elected National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house of the Parliament by a voice vote. Following Birla’s election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him and said he looks forward to the Speaker’s guidance for the next five years.
“Your sweet smile keeps the entire House happy…The previous Lok Sabha passed several path-breaking legislations under your leadership,” PM Modi told Birla while addressing the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, also extended wishes to Birla and accompanied him to the chair along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and PM Modi. The election for the Lok Sabha Speaker post was held in the Parliament for the first time in decades owing to a lack of consensus between the BJP-led NDA government and the Congress-led INDIA bloc opposition. The Congress had fielded Kodikunnil Suresh as its Lok Sabha Speaker candidate against BJP’s Om Birla.
Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are elected through a consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. However, an indecision between the two promoted an election this time. Such an election for the post has been held only three times in history—1952, 1967, and 1976.
