On 26th June 2024, Om Birla (61-year old), candidate of ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was elected as Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha(Lower House of the Parliament) for a 2nd consecutive term. He was elected against the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s candidate, Kodikunnil Suresh, 8 time-Member of Parliament (MP) from Mavelikkara constituency, Kerala by a voice vote.
- Before him, Balram Jakhar is the only presiding officer who served two complete terms during the 7th Lok Sabha (1980-84) and 8th Lok Sabha (1985-89).
- This is the 5th time that a Speaker will serve beyond the tenure of one Lok Sabha.
Note:
i.The election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker was 1st held in 1952.
- Ganesh Vasudev Mavlankar, ruling Congress party candidate was elected 1st Lok Sabha Speaker and had secured 394 votes against opposition candidate, Shantaram More who got just 55 votes.
ii.So far, the election for the post of Lok Sabha held 3 times i.e. in 1952, 1967 and 1976.
About Om Birla:
i.Om Birla is a renowned politician and businessman from Rajasthan. He started his political career as student leader.
ii.His political career got boost when he became the state President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha(BJYM), the youth wing of BJP and later, Birla became its National Vice President in 1997.
iii.He has served as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Rajasthan for three consecutive terms i.e. from 2003 to 2013.
- He was elected for the 1st time as MLA in 2003 from Kota South assembly constituency, Rajasthan.
iv.He was elected for the 1st time as Member of Parliament (MP)of 16thLok Sabha in 2014 from Kota South constituency, Rajasthan and again re-elected from same constituency in 2019.
v.He was re-elected as MP of Lok Sabha for 3rd consecutive time in 2024 Parliamentary elections from the Kota South constituency by defeating Congress party candidate, Prahlad Gunjal by nearly 42,000 votes.
Lok Sabha Speaker Recognised Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lower House of the Parliament
On 26th June 2024, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formally recognised Congress party leader, Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in 18th Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament).
- He has been recognised as the LoP under Section 2 of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
- The post of LoP was lying vacant for last 10 years because no principal opposition party secured minimum strength required for the post in 2014 and 2019 General elections, which by convention should be at least 10% of total Lok Sabha seats or minimum 55 Lok Sabha seats.
- Congress Party emerged as the single largest party in INDIA bloc by securing 99 seats in the 2024 General Elections.
About LoP:
i.LoP is entitled to the salary, allowances and other facilities equivalent to Cabinet Minister as mandated under Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
ii.LoP is also entitled to be a member of committees who appoints the heads of statutory bodies like: Central Vigilance Commission(CVC), Central Information Commission (CIC) and National Human Rights (NHRC), among others.
About Rahul Gandhi:
i.Rahul Gandi is the grandson of Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister (PM) of India.
ii.He will be the 3rd in the Gandhi family to take the post of LoP.
- Before him, his father former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi (from 1989 -1990) and then, his mother, Sonia Gandhi (from 1999 to 2004) served as the LoP.
iii.He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) of Lok Sabha for 1st time in 2004 from Amethi constituency, Uttar Pradesh(UP) and held this constituency till 2019.
iv.He contested 2024 General Elections from Wayanad constituency, Kerala and Raebareli constituency, UP and won both these constituencies.
- But, he chose to represent Raebareli constituency in Lok Sabha and thus vacated Wayanad seat.
