BJP's Om Birla vs Congress' K Suresh for Lok Sabha Speaker post: Who has advantage? Numbers explained

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Click here for Lok Sabha Session LIVE UpdatesThe NDA, which has 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, enjoys a clear majority. The Opposition bloc has 234 legislators in the lower House of Parliament.With numbers in favour of the NDA, Om Birla is set to become the Lok Sabha Speaker for a second term.

Om Birla was first elected to Lok Sabha in 2014. He was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha when he returned as an MP from Kota.K Suresh's nomination as the Opposition candidate came after a tense discourse between the NDA and INDIA bloc over the post of deputy Speaker.

INDIA bloc said it was willing to support NDA candidate but only if the deputy Speaker post is given to the Opposition.Rahul Gandhi said Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh had called Mallikarjun Kharge to reach a consensus between the two blocs but the talks fell apart over the deputy Speaker post.“Rajnath Singh called Mallikarjun Kharge and he asked him to extend support to the Speaker. The entire Opposition said that we would support the Speaker but the convention is that the Deputy Speaker post should be given to the opposition.

Rajnath Singh said that he would call back Mallikarjun Kharge but he has not done that yet," Rahul Gandhi said.Kodikunnil Suresh was fielded after the NDA did not accept the Opposition demand for eputy Speaker post.This is the first time since Independence that elections will be held for the Lok Sabha Speaker since Opposition, too, has fielded its candidate for the post. The Lok Sabha Speaker and deputy Speaker have always been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the Opposition.Since the ruling NDA and the Opposition reached no concensus, both blocs fielded their candidates for