Om Birla vs K Suresh: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition INDIA bloc have not reached a consensus, leading to separate nominations for the upcoming Lok Sabha Speaker post. With the deadline for nominations approaching, the two alliances have put forward their candidates. The newly elected legislators will vote on June 26 to choose the next Speaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Om Birla, the NDA candidate, and Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, the Opposition nominee.
Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, and Kerala’s longest-serving Lok Sabha MP K Suresh have both been nominated for the Lok Sabha Speaker position. The nomination process is scheduled for June 25, and the elections will take place on June 26.
Om Birla vs K Suresh: Who holds the upper hand in the Lok Sabha?
The NDA, with 293 MPs out of 543 in the Lok Sabha, holds a solid majority. The opposition bloc consists of 234 members in the lower House of Parliament.
Since the NDA has the numerical advantage, Om Birla is poised to secure a second term as the Lok Sabha Speaker.
What was the reason for the Opposition to nominate K Suresh?
K Suresh was chosen as the Opposition candidate following a heated discussion regarding the deputy Speaker position between the NDA and INDIA bloc. The INDIA bloc expressed willingness to support the NDA candidate but on the condition that the deputy Speaker position be given to the Opposition.
According to Rahul Gandhi, Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh, they had contacted Mallikarjun Kharge to negotiate a consensus between the two blocs. However, the discussions collapsed due to the disagreement over the deputy Speaker position.
Rahul Gandhi stated that Rajnath Singh contacted Mallikarjun Kharge and requested his support for the Speaker. Although the entire Opposition agreed to support the Speaker, they insisted that the convention dictates the Deputy Speaker position should be given to the opposition. Rajnath Singh promised to follow up with Mallikarjun Kharge but has not yet done so.
This upcoming Lok Sabha Speaker election marks the first time since Independence that such elections will take place, as the Opposition has nominated a candidate for the post as well. Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected through consensus between the ruling party and the Opposition.
The ruling NDA and the Opposition failed to reach an agreement, leading both factions to nominate their candidates for the position of Lok Sabha Speaker. The election is scheduled to take place on June 26.