New Delhi NDA candidate Om Birla was elected Lok Sabha speaker on Wednesday after a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was adopted by voice vote, capping an intense debate on the issue with the opposition in a unusual move in proposing his own candidate.
Caretaker Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab made the announcement after the opposition, which had floated the name of eight-term Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh as its candidate, failed to push for votes for the motion.
With this, Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, wins a second consecutive term in the presidency, the fifth time that a president will serve beyond the term of a certain Lok Sabha. It is also one of the few occasions when necessitated an election for a position that was traditionally decided by consensus.
"I announce that Om Birla has been elected president," Mahtab said.
Soon after, Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju headed to Birla's seat in the front row of the Treasury benches to escort him to the chair. They were also joined by Congress leader and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi greeted Birla and also shook the Prime Minister's hand.
After that, Modi, Gandhi and Rijiju escorted Birla to the chair where Mahtab received him saying, "It's your chair, please take it."
In his speech, his first in the 18th Lok Sabha, Modi said Birla's work as an MP should be an inspiration to new Lok Sabha members. "It is a matter of honor that you have been elected to this post for the second time." "said the Prime Minister.
"I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance over the next five years," he said, adding that Birla's "sweet smile" keeps the entire Lok Sabha happy.
Congratulating Birla on his election, Gandhi said he hoped that the opposition would be allowed to raise the voice of the people in the House. He also said that the opposition wanted the House to function "often and well" and added that it was very important that cooperation is carried out with trust.
"This House represents the voice of the people of India... Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of the people of India," the Congress leader said.
"The opposition would like to help you in your work. I am sure they will allow us to speak in the House," he said. Gandhi also noted that this time the opposition represents many more voices of the Indian people than last time.
Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, echoed his words.
"We believe that you will advance without discrimination and, as spokesperson, provide equal opportunity and respect to all parties. Impartiality is a great responsibility of this great position. You... are the president of the Court of Democracy." Yadav said Birla, 62, who has risen through the ranks of the BJP, is a third-term MP of the party and also a former three-term MLA from Rajasthan.
Early in the morning, the prime minister moved the motion to elect Birla as president. He was supported by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
NDA allies JD(U) member Rajiv Ranjan Singh, HAM(S) member Jitan Ram Manjhi, Shiv Sena member Prataprao Jadhav and LJP(RV) member Chirag Paswan , also moved motions in favor of Birla.Shiv Sena (UBT) member Arvind Sawant moved the motion to elect Congress's Suresh to the post.
However, after the voice votes, Mahtab announced that all other motions except the Prime Minister's motion were unsuccessful.
In what some see as a sign of things to come, Birla's election follows a rare standoff between both the ruling alliance and the opposition bloc after an attempt to reach a consensus failed. The opposition's last minute to call a contest came after senior BJP leaders did not accept the precondition that the INDIA bloc be offered the vice-presidential post instead of supporting Birla.
A brief interaction between Congress's K C Venugopal and DMK's T R Baalu on the opposition side and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda on Tuesday to reach a consensus ended in acrimony with both sides sticking to their positions.
Both opposition leaders emerged from Singh's office where they met, with Venugopal accusing the government of not following the "convention" of an opposition candidate for the post of vice president and then announcing the decision to field a candidate against Birla. Union ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the JD(U) accused the opposition of resorting to political pressure and imposing preconditions despite the ministers' assurances that their demand will be considered when the time comes to elect the vice president.
Since the NDA had 293 MPs in its group and the INDIA block 233 in the Lok Sabha, the numbers were clearly in Birla's favour. The Lok Sabha currently has 542 members after Rahul Gandhi resigned from one of the two seats to which he was elected. At least three independent members also support the opposition.
Balram Jakhar is the only president to have served two full terms, extending the seventh and eighth Lok Sabha.
Caretaker Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab made the announcement after the opposition, which had floated the name of eight-term Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh as its candidate, failed to push for votes for the motion.
With this, Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, wins a second consecutive term in the presidency, the fifth time that a president will serve beyond the term of a certain Lok Sabha. It is also one of the few occasions when necessitated an election for a position that was traditionally decided by consensus.
"I announce that Om Birla has been elected president," Mahtab said.
Soon after, Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju headed to Birla's seat in the front row of the Treasury benches to escort him to the chair. They were also joined by Congress leader and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi greeted Birla and also shook the Prime Minister's hand.
After that, Modi, Gandhi and Rijiju escorted Birla to the chair where Mahtab received him saying, "It's your chair, please take it."
In his speech, his first in the 18th Lok Sabha, Modi said Birla's work as an MP should be an inspiration to new Lok Sabha members. "It is a matter of honor that you have been elected to this post for the second time." "said the Prime Minister.
"I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance over the next five years," he said, adding that Birla's "sweet smile" keeps the entire Lok Sabha happy.
Congratulating Birla on his election, Gandhi said he hoped that the opposition would be allowed to raise the voice of the people in the House. He also said that the opposition wanted the House to function "often and well" and added that it was very important that cooperation is carried out with trust.
"This House represents the voice of the people of India... Of course, the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of the people of India," the Congress leader said.
"The opposition would like to help you in your work. I am sure they will allow us to speak in the House," he said. Gandhi also noted that this time the opposition represents many more voices of the Indian people than last time.
Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, echoed his words.
"We believe that you will advance without discrimination and, as spokesperson, provide equal opportunity and respect to all parties. Impartiality is a great responsibility of this great position. You... are the president of the Court of Democracy." Yadav said Birla, 62, who has risen through the ranks of the BJP, is a third-term MP of the party and also a former three-term MLA from Rajasthan.
Early in the morning, the prime minister moved the motion to elect Birla as president. He was supported by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
NDA allies JD(U) member Rajiv Ranjan Singh, HAM(S) member Jitan Ram Manjhi, Shiv Sena member Prataprao Jadhav and LJP(RV) member Chirag Paswan , also moved motions in favor of Birla.Shiv Sena (UBT) member Arvind Sawant moved the motion to elect Congress's Suresh to the post.
However, after the voice votes, Mahtab announced that all other motions except the Prime Minister's motion were unsuccessful.
In what some see as a sign of things to come, Birla's election follows a rare standoff between both the ruling alliance and the opposition bloc after an attempt to reach a consensus failed. The opposition's last minute to call a contest came after senior BJP leaders did not accept the precondition that the INDIA bloc be offered the vice-presidential post instead of supporting Birla.
A brief interaction between Congress's K C Venugopal and DMK's T R Baalu on the opposition side and Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda on Tuesday to reach a consensus ended in acrimony with both sides sticking to their positions.
Both opposition leaders emerged from Singh's office where they met, with Venugopal accusing the government of not following the "convention" of an opposition candidate for the post of vice president and then announcing the decision to field a candidate against Birla. Union ministers Piyush Goyal of the BJP and Lalan Singh of the JD(U) accused the opposition of resorting to political pressure and imposing preconditions despite the ministers' assurances that their demand will be considered when the time comes to elect the vice president.
Since the NDA had 293 MPs in its group and the INDIA block 233 in the Lok Sabha, the numbers were clearly in Birla's favour. The Lok Sabha currently has 542 members after Rahul Gandhi resigned from one of the two seats to which he was elected. At least three independent members also support the opposition.
Balram Jakhar is the only president to have served two full terms, extending the seventh and eighth Lok Sabha.
