In a first in the history of Independent India, Om Birla and K Suresh filed their nominations on Wednesday, June 26, as candidates for the Lok Sabha Speaker election, representing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and INDIA bloc, respectively.
In previous elections, the Lok Sabha Speaker was typically chosen through consensus between the ruling party and the Opposition. However, this tradition was disrupted this year when the INDIA bloc insisted on securing the deputy Speaker post in exchange for supporting the NDA candidate.
According to the reports, over 10 nominations were filed in support of Om Birla’s candidature, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda, and BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S) and LJP (R). Three nominations were filed supporting Dalit leader and Congress leader K Suresh.
WHO IS NDA CANDIDATE OM BIRLA?
Om Birla was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha after he won from Kota in Rajasthan. He was also a member of the Standing Committee on Energy in Parliament and the Committee on Petitions and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
He was elected again in the 17th Lok Sabha after winning the 2019 general elections from Kota and served as Speaker of the lower House of Parliament.
He returned to Lok Sabha for the third time from Kota in Rajasthan. If Om Birla wins, he will be the first person to get the post for the second term in 25 years.
Also Read | Om Birla vs K Suresh, who has the numbers to become Lok Sabha Speaker? Read here
Om Birla has been active in politics since he was a student. In 1991, he served as the state unit president of the Bhartiya Yuva Morcha and as vice president at the national level. How is the Lok Sabha Speaker elected? Read here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed Birla’s name, supported by all major opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, and BJD. The YSRCP and TDP also supported Birla’s candidature.
WHO IS K SURESH, THE OPPOSITION CANDIDATE?
Kodikunnil Suresh is the Opposition candidate from the INDIA bloc. He is an eight-time MP from Kerala and the longest–serving Lok Sabha MP. K Suresh was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989 and subsequently won the 1991, 1996, and 1999 general elections from the Adoor constituency, serving four consecutive terms.
Suresh, who won his eighth Lok Sabha election from Mavelikkara (Kerala) in the 2024 general elections, has represented the seat four times.
The Kerala MP has served as the working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and was also the chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the 17th Lok Sabha.
After his nomination from the INDIA bloc, K Suresh said it is not about winning or losing but about a convention in which the Speaker will be from the ruling party and the Deputy Speaker will be from the Opposition.
(With agency inputs)
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Published: 25 Jun 2024, 02:27 PM IST
