Editor's Pick | Lok Sabha to witness rare contest for Speaker’s post

The 18th Lok Sabha is all set to witness a rare contest for the Speaker’s post on Wednesday between Om Birla of the BJP and Kodikunnil Suresh of the Congress after the National Democratic Alliance government and the INDIA bloc failed to arrive at a consensus. On Tuesday, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal and DMK’s T.R. Baalu from the Opposition and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister J.P. Nadda had met at Mr. Singh’s office in Parliament to evolve a consensus. However, with both sides sticking to their position, the two Opposition leaders walked out. Mr. Venugopal accused the government of not following the “convention” of an Opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s position. The decision to field Mr. Birla, a third-term BJP MP from Kota, underlined the BJP-led NDA’s theme of continuity as he had held the post in the last term too. The INDIA bloc’s nominee, Mr. Suresh, is an eight-term MP from Kerala and belongs to a Dalit community. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who will be the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha,said the Opposition was willing to support the NDA candidate but the government was non-committal on giving them the Deputy Speaker post. Union Ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) accused the Opposition of resorting to “pressure politics” by putting preconditions. The decision to field Mr. Suresh had also exposed the fault lines within the INDIA bloc as Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee accused the Congress of taking a unilateral decision without consulting them. Almost immediately, the Congress’s top leadership reached out to Trinamool and managed to secure their backing for the Opposition candidate. “It is not about winning or losing but about a convention that the Speaker will be of the ruling party and the Deputy Speaker from the Opposition,” Mr. Suresh told The Hindu. “Now we are recognised as the Opposition and the Deputy Speaker post is our right,” the INDIA bloc’s nominee added. In Independent India, there have been only three instances (in 1952, 1967 and 1976) when there was a voting for the Speaker’s post. According to Ravindra Garimella, former Joint Secretary (Legislation), Lok Sabha Secretariat, the first time an election for the Speaker’s post took place was in the first Lok Sabha of 1952, when G.V. Mavalankar defeated Shantaram More. Then again, in 1967, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy of the Congress won against Tenneti Viswanathan, whose candidature was supported by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then an MP. And finally, in 1976, during the Emergency, in the fifth Lok Sabha, Baliram Bhagat was elected Speaker against a competing claim by Jagannath Rao Joshi of the Jana Sangh. “In 1976, the election of Baliram Bhagat was necessitated by the fact that the previous Speaker had been made a Cabinet Minister in the then Congress government,” Mr. Garimella said. There were two other instances when competing candidates were put up, in the 10th and 12th Lok Sabha, respectively, but since the government’s candidates were elected via a voice vote, other motions were considered lapsed. These instances shine a light on the fact that despite the vicissitudes of coalition politics, it has been a while since voting has taken place in a contest to elect the Speaker. The BJP, reduced to 240 MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and at the head of a coalition government, is keen to demonstrate its dominance of the House and the stability of its coalition. The effort, say sources in the party, is to register a comprehensive number backing their candidate, over and above the NDA’s numbers, for which four YSRCP MPs have also pledged their support to the NDA. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju stressed that the Lok Sabha Speaker was above party lines and it was a desirable aim that his or her election to the post should be unanimous and without rancour. For the Opposition, contesting would be an opportunity to demonstrate the consolidation of the anti-NDA bloc. In an editorial, The Hindu pointed out that as the leader of the ruling coalition, the BJP should demonstrate a renewed commitment to the norms and substance of Parliament and the Opposition should respond constructively. The Hindu’s Editorials Call for consensus: On the Prime Minister’s pledge and the 18th Lok Sabha ​Free man: On the release of Julian Assange The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the director of the film Monkey Man? Danny Boyle Sam Mendes Dev Patel Gurinder Chadda To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 26 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 26 June 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Lok Sabha to witness rare contest for Speaker’s post The 18th Lok Sabha is all set to witness a rare contest for the Speaker’s post on Wednesday between [Om Birla of the BJP and Kodikunnil Suresh]( the Congress after the National Democratic Alliance government and the INDIA bloc failed to arrive at a consensus. On Tuesday, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal and DMK’s T.R. Baalu from the Opposition and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister J.P. Nadda had met at Mr. Singh’s office in Parliament to evolve a consensus. However, with both sides sticking to their position, the two Opposition leaders walked out. Mr. Venugopal accused the government of not following the “convention” of an Opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s position. The decision to field Mr. Birla, a third-term BJP MP from Kota, underlined the BJP-led NDA’s theme of continuity as he had held the post in the last term too. The INDIA bloc’s nominee, Mr. Suresh, is an eight-term MP from Kerala and belongs to a Dalit community. [Congress leader Rahul Gandhi]( who will be the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha,said the Opposition was willing to support the NDA candidate but the government was non-committal on giving them the Deputy Speaker post. Union Ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) accused the Opposition of resorting to “pressure politics” by putting preconditions. The decision to field Mr. Suresh had also exposed the fault lines within the INDIA bloc as Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee accused the Congress of taking a unilateral decision [without consulting them](. Almost immediately, the Congress’s top leadership reached out to Trinamool and managed to secure their backing for the Opposition candidate. “It is not about winning or losing but about a convention that the Speaker will be of the ruling party and the Deputy Speaker from the Opposition,” Mr. Suresh told The Hindu. “Now we are recognised as the Opposition and the Deputy Speaker post is our right,” the INDIA bloc’s nominee added. In Independent India, there have been [only three instances]( 1952, 1967 and 1976) when there was a voting for the Speaker’s post. According to Ravindra Garimella, former Joint Secretary (Legislation), Lok Sabha Secretariat, the first time an election for the Speaker’s post took place was in the first Lok Sabha of 1952, when G.V. Mavalankar defeated Shantaram More. Then again, in 1967, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy of the Congress won against Tenneti Viswanathan, whose candidature was supported by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then an MP. And finally, in 1976, during the Emergency, in the fifth Lok Sabha, Baliram Bhagat was elected Speaker against a competing claim by Jagannath Rao Joshi of the Jana Sangh. “In 1976, the election of Baliram Bhagat was necessitated by the fact that the previous Speaker had been made a Cabinet Minister in the then Congress government,” Mr. Garimella said. There were two other instances when competing candidates were put up, in the 10th and 12th Lok Sabha, respectively, but since the government’s candidates were elected via a voice vote, other motions were considered lapsed. These instances shine a light on the fact that despite the vicissitudes of coalition politics, it has been a while since voting has taken place in a contest to elect the Speaker. The BJP, reduced to 240 MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and at the head of a coalition government, is keen to demonstrate its dominance of the House and the stability of its coalition. The effort, say sources in the party, is to register a comprehensive number backing their candidate, over and above the NDA’s numbers, for which four YSRCP MPs have also pledged their support to the NDA. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju stressed that the Lok Sabha Speaker was above party lines and it was a desirable aim that his or her election to the post should be unanimous and without rancour. For the Opposition, contesting would be an opportunity to demonstrate the consolidation of the anti-NDA bloc. In an [editorial]( The Hindu pointed out that as the leader of the ruling coalition, the BJP should demonstrate a renewed commitment to the norms and substance of Parliament and the Opposition should respond constructively. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Call for consensus: On the Prime Minister’s pledge and the 18th Lok Sabha]( [Arrow][​Free man: On the release of Julian Assange]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the director of the film Monkey Man? - Danny Boyle - Sam Mendes - Dev Patel - Gurinder Chadda To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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