A meeting of the top BJP leaders is expected to be held at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence here on Tuesday evening to discuss the names of the candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Some of the NDA constituents are also expected to participate in the meeting, sources said.
The election for the Lok Sabha speaker's post will be held on June 26, two days after the first session of the Parliament begins.
What is the Opposition Alliance demanding?
The opposition INDIA bloc with its increased strength in the Lok Sabha, is now aggressively demanding the post of Deputy Speaker, which conventionally belongs to a member of an opposition party.
However, during the last Lok Sabha session, the position of Deputy Speaker remained vacant, leading to criticism from the opposition.
"We will force a contest for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker if the government does not agree to have an opposition leader as Deputy Speaker," a senior Congress leader reportedly told PTI.
History Of Lok Sabha Speaker Elections
If the opposition forces 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.
Elections to the post of the Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly, as Parliament was called in the pre-independence days, were held for the first time on August 24, 1925, when Swarajist Party nominee Vitthalbhai J Patel won the coveted post against T Rangachariar.
Patel, the first non-official member to be elected as the Speaker, won the maiden election with a narrow margin of two votes. Patel had polled 58 votes against 56 garnered by Rangachariar.
Since Independence, Lok Sabha Speakers have been chosen by consensus, and only M A Ayyangar, G S Dhillon, Balram Jakhar and G M C Balayogi have retained the coveted posts in the subsequent Lok Sabhas.
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on June 24 during which new members of the Lower House will take oath and the Speaker will be elected.
As per convention, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will move the motion for election of the Speaker in the Lok Sabha on June 26.
Senior Congress leader K Suresh is the seniormost member of the Lok Sabha and is expected to be appointed as Pro-Tem Speaker, before whom the members would take oath.
President Droupadi Murmu will address the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27.
(With PTI inputs)
