Page 5 - Lok Sabha Speaker

LS Speaker election: BJP begins consultations, Oppn too weighs options

The BJP has begun consultations with its allies on the ruling NDA's candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post while the opposition INDIA bloc is considering its options and may force a contest to score political points, sources said on Monday, a day before the filing of nomination for the key position. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which enjoys a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, gave little indication about its choice as it weighs its options and looks to deny the opposition any opportunity to mount a political attack. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Union minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters that the alliance's leaders, including his party's president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will take a decision on the matter, adding that no final decision has been conveyed to them yet. A leader of another BJP ally said on the condition of anonymity that the BJP leadership has held consultations with him. He declined to discuss the details. With th

Who Is Bhartruhari Mahtab? BJP's pro-tem speaker who sparked controversy

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker by President Droupadi Murmu in the 18th Lok Sabha's first Parliament session on June 24

First session of 18th LS begins today, PM Modi, new members to take oath

The first session is expected to be stormy as the opposition is likely to corner the BJP-led NDA government on the election of the Speaker on June 26

LS session: Row over Mahtab's appointment as pro-tem speaker to cast shadow

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha beginning Monday will see oath-taking by newly elected members followed by election of the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu's address to joint sitting of both the Houses on June 27. The row over appointment of BJP leader and seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem speaker is likely to cast shadow over the session. The move has drawn flak from the opposition, which alleged that the claim of Congress member K Suresh to the post was overlooked by the government. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post, while Suresh lost elections in 1998 and 2004 which makes his current term as the fourth straight one in the lower house. Earlier, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991, 1996 and 1999. On Monday, President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Govt, opposition face-off on protem Speaker issue ahead of first LS session

Ahead of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, the NDA government and the INDIA bloc sparred on the issue of Pro-tem Speaker with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accusing the Congress of resorting to lies and the opposition threatening to refuse to join the panel of chairpersons in the House. President Droupadi Murmu had appointed BJP leader and seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, who is tasked with administering the oath and affirmation to the newly-elected members of the lower house and preside over the election of the Speaker. The President had also named five senior members -? K Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) to assist Mahtab in the process that will take place over the first three days of the Lok Sabha Session commencing on June 24. The Congress had alleged that the government has violated procedures and conventions and ignored the ..

Oppn MPs on panel to assist pro tem Speaker planning to decline position

Opposition leaders nominated to the panel of chairpersons to assist the pro tem Speaker are considering not accepting the positions, a source said on Saturday. The development comes amid opposition parties objecting to the appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker. Mahtab, a BJP member from Cuttack, Odisha was appointed as pro tem Speaker by President Droupadi Murmu under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to perform the duties of the Lok Sabha presiding officer till the election of the Speaker on June 26. A panel of chairpersons was also announced to assist the pro tem Speaker during the special session of Parliament for members of the new Lok Sabha to take oath. Sources from the opposition parties said the three opposition MPs -- Congress leader K Suresh, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and DMK leader T R Baalu -- who have been nominated to assist the pro tem Speaker are considering not being part of the panel. BJP members Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste

LS pro-tem Speaker issue: Cong should make Kodikunnil Suresh LoP, says BJP

A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Congress slammed the Centre over the pro-tem Speaker appointment issue, the BJP on Saturday hit back by asking the grand old party to make Kodikunnil Suresh as the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha. Both Vijayan and the Congress have claimed that not appointing Suresh, the senior most MP in the Lok Sabha, as the pro-tem Speaker is a violation of the conventions followed in the past. Hitting back, BJP state chief K Surendran said that the Congress should protest against the Centre's decision by making Suresh the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He also termed the Congress MP from Mavelikara constituency as "brilliant", a member of the Dalit community and a member from Kerala -- "the family home of Rahul (Gandhi) and Priyanka (Gandhi) today and tomorrow Vadra's". "At any rate, this man (Suresh) should be made the leader of the opposition. This is how the Congress party should express its protest against him not bei

B Mahtab appointed pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha, Congress protests

Seven-term parliamentarian and BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab was on Thursday appointed pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, bucking the largely followed convention of appointing the senior most member to the post, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition Congress. The pro-tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha and preside over the Lower House till the election of the Speaker. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker and that he will be assisted by senior members K Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC). Shortly after Rijiju's announcement, the Congress accused the BJP-led government of "destroying parliamentary norms" by ignoring the claim of Suresh, a eight-term Lok Sabha member, to the post of the pro-tem Speaker. "In yet another attempt at destroying ...

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab appointed pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha

Mahtab, a six-term Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP, had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) weeks before the Lok Sabha polls

Rajnath Singh meets top ministers to discuss Parliament House strategy

A meeting of the top BJP leaders is expected to be held at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence here on Tuesday evening to discuss the names of the candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Some of the NDA constituents are also expected to participate in the meeting, sources said. The election for the Lok Sabha speaker's post will be held on June 26, two days after the first session of the Parliament begins. Meanwhile, a separate meeting of the Maharashtra BJP core group will be held at the party headquarters this evening to discuss the party's strategy for the assembly polls due to be held in the state later this year, sources said. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, party state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, MP Ashok Chauhan, Minister Girish Mahajan and other leaders are expected to attend the meeting to be presided over by BJP chief J P Nadda. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP general secretary (organization) BL Sant

Om Birla discusses statue relocation in Parliament with stakeholders

Statues of freedom fighters and national icons spread across the Parliament complex have been relocated to a new enclosure on its premises, Prerna Sthal, following discussions with different stakeholders, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday. The relocation of the statues, he said, were done as part of a landscaping and beautification exercise. Addressing reporters here, Birla also asserted that discussions were held from time to time with different stakeholders on the relocation of statues as such decisions were within the purview of the Office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. "None of the statues have been removed, they have been relocated. There is no need to indulge in politics on this," the outgoing speaker said when asked about the opposition criticism on the relocation of the statues. "From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their .

INDIA bloc will try to support TDP if it contests LS speaker's post: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said all partners of the opposition INDIA bloc will try to ensure support for the ruling ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) if it fields a candidate for the Lok Sabha speaker's election. Talking to reporters here, Raut claimed the Lok Sabha speaker's election will be crucial and if the BJP gets the post, it will break the government-supporting parties like the TDP, JD(U) and the political outfits of Chirag Paswan and Jayant Chaudhary. "We have the experience that BJP betrays the people who support it," Raut claimed. "I hear the TDP wants to field its candidate. If that happens, INDIA bloc partners will discuss the issue and will try to ensure that all the INDIA alliance partners extend support to the TDP," he said. The opposition should get the deputy speaker's post as per rule, the Rajya Sabha member said. He claimed the NDA government is not a stable regime. Asked about recent statements made by some Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders on

Lok Sabha to get LoP after 10 yrs, Oppn hopes deputy speaker gets elected

With the INDIA bloc parties' numbers increasing in the 18th Lok Sabha, the lower house is set to get a leader of the opposition (LoP) after ten years, and opposition leaders also hope that a deputy speaker will be elected soon, a post that had been vacant for the last five years. The 17th Lok Sabha, which was dissolved on June 5, did not have a deputy speaker for its full term, and it was the second consecutive term of the lower house without an LoP. All eyes are set at the lower house which will get an LoP, and is also expected to have a deputy speaker, a post which usually goes to the opposition ranks. While the INDIA bloc has not yet held any coordination meeting on its strategy for the Parliament, an opposition leader said they will mount pressure that the deputy speaker's post is not left vacant this time. "The BJP government has been rejected by people, they did not elect any deputy speaker in last five years... Hope they have learnt a lesson and will elect a deputy speaker t

Explained: What are the powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker?

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers took their oaths, appointing the Lok Sabha Speaker became a major task.

Delhi on high-alert for Modi's swearing-in event; what's banned? 10 points

Top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius and Seychelles likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony, triggering heavy security arrangements across Delhi

Lok Sabha polls: How can Speaker post act as 'insurance' for Nitish, Naidu

Lok Sabha elections: Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu have extended their support to the BJP-led NDA government, triggering speculations about the terms of their deal

LS polls: 695 candidates set to contest across 49 constituencies in Phase 5

A total of 695 candidates are in the fray across 49 constituencies spread over eight states and Union territories in the upcoming fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. The figure emerged after the scrutiny of 1,586 nomination forms filed for the fifth phase of the ongoing polls. Of the nominations, 749 were found to be valid after the deadline for filing papers closed on May 3, according to a statement issued by the EC. The statement said 695 candidates will contest the polls from eight states and Union territories in the fifth phase on May 20. Maharashtra topped the list with 512 nominations, resulting in 301 valid candidates contesting across 13 constituencies, while Uttar Pradesh followed closely with 466 nominations, leading to 147 valid candidates across 14 constituencies. The highest number of nominations in a single constituency was seen in Maharashtra's Chatra, which received 69 candidatures, followed by Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh

Lok Sabha polls: People have trust in PM Modi's leadership, says Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker and BJP candidate from the Kota? parliamentary seat Om Birla on Wednesday said the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an election issue this time as the people of the country have trust in his leadership. Birla also brushed aside attack on him by the Congress for disqualifying Rahul Gandhi from membership of the Parliament saying he had no role and authority to expel someone as the Parliament functions on its rules and regulations. Birla held a brief interaction with PTI after paying tribute to former Jan Sangh parliamentarian Onkarlal Bairwa on his death anniversary at his residence in Kota city's Nayapura area on Wednesday. Responding to a query, three-time MLA and two-time MP Birla said the leadership of Prime minister Narendra Modi is an election issue this time and people have trust in his working style and the way he worked to "transform" the country. On development and progress in his parliamentary area during his tenure as an MP, Birla claimed .

LS polls: Nominations of 16 candidates found invalid for second phase in MP

The nomination forms of 93 candidates were found to be valid, while 16 were rejected during the scrutiny of papers for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, poll officials said on Saturday. These 16 rejected nominations include that of the opposition INDIA bloc nominee and Samajwadi Party's (SP) Khajuraho candidate Meera Yadav. Yadav's form was declared invalid by the returning officer on Friday. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan said candidates are allowed to withdraw their forms till April 8. The nominations of 93 candidates are valid, while those of 16 candidates were found invalid during the scrutiny on Friday, Rajan said. Seven seats Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul (ST) will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. Union minister and sitting MP Virendra Khatik is contesting from Tikamgarh (SC). Khatik has won all three elections held in this constituency after it was carved out following delimitation in

Rahul's Nyay Yatra closing to feature INDIA bloc leaders: Nana Patole

"A huge rally will be organised. Leaders of the INDIA bloc will be present here to welcome Rahul Gandhi," Patole said