Will INDIA bloc get the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker post? Explained in 5 Points
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition's INDIA bloc are close to reaching consensus on the crucial post in the Lower House of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha is set to elect a Speaker on June 26.
The INDIA bloc might as well not nominate a candidate for Speaker's post in the 18th Lok Sabha, if the the Deputy Speaker's post is allocated to the opposition, according to the sources. If the INDIA blocforces an election to the post of Speaker of the Lok Sabha next week, it would be the first such instance in the history of Independent India as the presiding officer has always been chosen by a consensus.In 16th Lok Sabha (2014) and 17th Lok Sabha (2019), when the BJP won an outright majority, party Members of Parliament (MPs) Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla were elected Speaker without any contest.
Also Read: How is Lok Sabha Speaker elected? Why is the post crucial for PM Modi 3.0? Explained in 5 pointsAIADMK leader M Thambi Durai was the Deputy Speaker in 16th Lok Sabha, but the post remained vacant in the 17th Lok Sabha.Buoyed by its increased strength in the Lok Sabha, the opposition INDIA bloc is now aggressively demanding the post of the Deputy Speaker, which by convention is held by a member of an opposition party.As things stand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government does not want a confrontation with the Opposition over the issue of Speaker or Deputy Speaker, according to a report in the Indian Express quoting sources. Everything will, however, depend on how the Opposition responds to government's overtures, the report said.In the two terms of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government between 2004 and 2014, the post of Deputy Speaker was offered to BJP MPs Charanjit Singh Atwal and
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