Lok Sabha Speaker: Elections, Process, And Responsibilities (image-X/UPSCprepIAS)
Om Birla, the MP from Kota, has been elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate was renominated by the NDA for the position of Speaker on Tuesday.
After G. S. Dhillon, GMC Balayogi, and Balram Jakhar, Birla is the fifth individual to hold the office two consecutive times.
Read Also: Om Birla Elected As Speaker Of 18th Lok Sabha
After failing to reach a consensus over the candidate for the Speaker in the 18th Lok Sabha election, the INDIA alliance nominated K. Suresh, an eight-time Congress MP from Kerala, against the NDA’s Birla.
In both 2014 and 2019, the BJP had the absolute majority, and Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla were elected as the Speaker, respectively.
What Does A Speaker Do?
In the Lok Sabha, the Speaker is tasked with overseeing its proceedings. Beyond managing the House, the Speaker sets the agenda for parliamentary sessions and facilitates critical motions, such as adjournments and no-confidence votes, impartially.
In matters concerning the interpretation and application of House rules, the Speaker’s decisions are final and binding, ensuring order and fairness amidst diverse perspectives from ruling and opposition members. This non-partisan approach is pivotal due to the Speaker’s dual role as an elected representative of a specific party.
The Speaker also holds the authority to discipline disruptive conduct and enforce penalties, including the disqualification of members under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
How Is A Speaker Voted?
The candidate who receives more than half of the votes from the members present in the lower house becomes the Speaker. The NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha, which seats 543 members, whereas the opposition alliance has 232.
Read Also: Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Miffed Over Zero Consultation On INDIA’s Speaker Candidate
The Three Times Elections Were Held For The Speaker’s Position
The election for the position of Speaker was first held in 1952, when Congress candidate GV Malvankar faced CPI candidate Shankar Shantaram More. The Congress member won the contest with 394 votes in his favour, while More managed to get 55 votes in his favour.
The Lower House was divided in 1967 during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister when Congress’ Neelam Sanjiva Reddy faced independent MP Tenneti Vishwanatham. Sanjiva was elected with 278 votes in favour and 207 votes against him.
In 1976, Congress’ BR Bhagat contested against Jan Sangh’s Jagannathrao Joshi. The former was elected Speaker with 344 votes in favour and 58 votes against him.
