New government's first job to elect Lok Sabha speaker

The election of the speaker and appointment of pro-term speaker will be the first job before the newly elected parliamentarians after the Lok Sabha results are declared Friday.

Lok Sabha Secretary General P. Sreedharan told media persons Thursday that the pro-term speaker, who administers the oath of office to the newly-elected members, is recommended by the parliamentary affairs ministry and is appointed by the president.

He said President Pranab Mukherjee will administer oath to the pro-term speaker and the pro-term speaker will then administer oath to the newly-elected members in the Parliament House.

He said the government also recommends "two-three names" for panel of chairman, who assist the pro-term speaker in the process of getting new members sworn in.

As per norms, the pro-term speaker is the longest serving member of the house or one of its very senior members.

In the outgoing house, Congress member Manikrao Gavit, who was into his ninth Lok Sabha term, was appointed the pro-term speaker.

Communist Party of India-Marxist member Basudeb Acharia will be the longest-serving member in the 16th Lok Sabha, if he is re-elected. Acharia also was into his ninth term in the outgoing Lok Sabha.

Union minister Kamal Nath was into his eighth term in the 15th Lok Sabha.

Officials said the dates for convening the parliament session will be decided by the new government.

They said the process of oath-taking takes about two days and the house then elects its speaker. Following election of the speaker, the president addresses the joint sitting of the two houses of parliament.

However, if there is hung verdict, the president may ask the new government to prove its majority in the lower house by a stipulated date and then address the joint sitting.

The term of 15th Lok Sabha will end May 31 as its first sitting was held June 1, 2009. However, the president might dissolve it earlier.

Unlike the appointment of pro-term speaker, the process of electing the speaker can witness a contest between the ruling party and the opposition.