NDA's Om Birla reappointed as Lok Sabha speaker; Defeats Congress candidate K Suresh

Update:

BJP nominee Om Birla has been re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker. The NDA candidate was favoured to retain the position with a majority of verbal votes. Birla served as Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha, and after his victory, he is the first person to hold the post for a second term in 25 years. 

He faced Congress candidate K Suresh, who entered the race after the ruling party and the opposition failed to reach a consensus the previous evening.

#WATCH | BJP MP Om Birla occupies the Chair of Lok Sabha Speaker after being elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, LoP Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accompany him to the Chair. pic.twitter.com/zVU0G4yl0d

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2024

Om Birla, the candidate from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), holds a significant advantage over his Congress counterpart, K Suresh, with backing from at least 293 MPs ahead of the Lok Sabha Speaker election. This marks the fourth occasion in Lok Sabha history where the Speaker's election is conducted through a voting process. 

Contrarily, the INDIA bloc, comprising 233 members in the Lok Sabha, anticipates support from three independents, potentially raising their effective tally to 236 votes. Additional backing from smaller parties and independents could further bolster Suresh's prospects in the upcoming election.

BJP Directs MPs to Attend House

On the eve of the election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a three-line whip to its Members of Parliament (MPs), urging them to be present in the House on Wednesday from 11 am onwards. The election, scheduled for June 26, marks the third day of the ongoing Parliament session and will be the first such election since 1976.

Congress Follows Suit

In a similar move, the Congress party also issued a three-line whip to its MPs, requesting their presence in the Lok Sabha at 11 am on Wednesday. The directive from Congress chief whip K Suresh emphasised the importance of the issue to be taken up, urging all party members to attend without fail and support the party's stance.

Congress issues a three-line whip to its party MPs in Lok Sabha to remain present in the House tomorrow, 26th June pic.twitter.com/x9fGMAoOuJ

— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024

Contenders for the Speaker's Post

The election for the Speaker's post has garnered significant attention as the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, unable to reach a consensus on BJP MP Om Birla’s appointment, has nominated Congress MP K Suresh. The Opposition had previously sought clarity from the BJP on the Deputy Speaker's role, but in the absence of a clear response, they decided to field K Suresh for the Speaker's position.

The BJP has nominated Om Birla, the former Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha and Kota MP, as their candidate. Discussions earlier included a proposal from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, indicating the Opposition's willingness to support the NDA's candidate for Speaker if the Deputy Speaker's role was allocated to the Opposition.