Representative image of a Lok Sabha session in process at the new Parliament building in New Delhi.
Credit: PIB Photo
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha will elect its new Speaker on June 26 for which notices for motions supporting candidates can be submitted by members by 12 noon a day prior, the Lok Sabha secretariat said on Thursday.
“At any time before noon on the day preceding the date so fixed, any member may give notice in writing, addressed to the Secretary-General, of a motion that another member be chosen as the Speaker of the House, and the notice shall be seconded by a third member and shall be accompanied by a statement by the member whose name is proposed in the notice that (they are) willing,” the bulletin said, adding that a member can not propose their own name.
The election of the Speaker will take place during the Special Session of Parliament, which convenes on June 24 and will conclude on July 3. Oath-taking of all members as well as the election of the Speaker will be the mainstay of this session. On June 27, President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha Speaker’s position becomes vacant as the new Lok Sabha convenes, as per Article 93 of the Constitution. When the first session convenes, the President will appoint a Pro-tem speaker to administer the oath of office to the newly-elected MPs.
While several names are floating around, BJP sources said that Radha Mohan Singh, a seven-term MP, is likely to take over as Pro-tem speaker.
The numbers at this point are stacked in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The NDA has 292 seats, including BJP’s 240 seats. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc now has 237 seats after three independent MP pledged their support to the Congress party.
The BJP could propose a woman, Dalit or OBC face as the Speaker. Frontrunners for the Speaker’s post are BJP Andhra Pradesh leader D Purandeshwari, though BJP leaders did not rule out a second innings for Speaker Om Birla.