Speaker's Election Will Set the Tone for the 18th Lok Sabha's First Session

With the NDA's reduced numbers in Parliament, things are unlikely to be the same compared to the last 10 years.

New Delhi: Security personnel at Parliament House complex on the first day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, in New Delhi, Monday, June 24, 2024.

(Photo: PTI)

Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for targeting the Opposition by hook or by crook, allow a consensus candidate as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha? That is the million-dollar question ahead of the first session of Parliament (after the 2024 general elections) beginning on 24 June.

In a way, Modi has signalled that he would not budge by appointing seven-term Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker, ignoring senior-most member K Suresh of the Congress party, who is in his eighth term, and thereby not honouring convention.

The primary job of the pro tem Speaker is to administer the oath to the newly-elected members of the Lok Sabha and preside over the Lower House till the election of the Speaker.

Though the prime minister has not spoken a word on the matter, the talk in political circles is that the appointment of Mahtab is in itself a signal that the BJP, which has emerged as the single largest party, will not part with the Speaker post.

“The Prime Minister is silent because he is crippled. Right now, the PM’s main agenda is the (Lok Sabha) Speaker’s post, and saving his government…”, remarked Rahul Gandhi at a press conference earlier this week, indicating the importance of the post. The Deputy Speaker’s post should be offered to the Congress party, which has emerged as the largest party in the Opposition.

This time, the elections have thrown up a House that does not have the BJP in majority. Things are unlikely to be the same compared to the last 10 years. The BJP and NDA (National Democratic Alliance) have 240 and 293 seats respectively, and the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc is not far behind. The BJP's allies — Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP (Telugu Desam Party) and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) [Janata Dal (United) — are key parts of the NDA with 18 and 12 seats respectively.

The latter has already announced that it would back the BJP on the Speaker issue. While nothing is known for sure about the TDP's stance, Naidu could be playing hardball with his party members remaining absent from a meeting called by Rajnath Singh last week at his residence.

Reports quoting unnamed sources say that he could settle for D Purandreswari, who is a BJP MP from Andhra Pradesh and his sister-in-law. The overall impression in political circles is best summed up by a commentator who insisted that "Naidu and Nitish, shadows of their past, won’t do anything radical to upset the BJP."

Om Birla, the Speaker in the outgoing House, is also a possible candidate, having done the bidding for the Modi government in controversial matters that had left the Opposition aghast. He has the dubious distinction of suspending some 140 Opposition members in quick succession, unprecedented in the annals of Parliament. The name of former Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh is also doing the rounds.

The Speaker’s post becomes very powerful when any issue under the anti-defection law comes into play. The last Lok Sabha had witnessed splits in parties like the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) amid allegations that these were engineered by the BJP.

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi put the nail on the head when he spoke of the Opposition’s expectations on the issue. “The Speaker is supposed to be the embodiment of independence, objectivity and non-partisanship. Hopefully, that will be kept in mind by the powers that be.”

“Undoubtedly, a Speaker from the ranks of the BJP's allies will enhance the consensual and collegiate role of a reduced BJP within a new NDA coalition”, he insisted when approached for comment.

He also argued that the Deputy Speaker’s “important status and role” must be recognised and the Congress should be “allowed to nominate him or her” and “we should not repeat the sad spectacle of keeping this post vacant and unfilled for years as happened in the last Lok Sabha.”

The job of the opposition is to oppose, expose, and if possible, depose. The prime minister could face a hard time with a surcharged INDIA alliance and there are issues aplenty to put the government on the mat.

Students are on a warpath due to the exam fiasco under this government. The testing agency under the Education Ministry has been under fire for paper leaks in the medical entrance exam and for cancelling the UGC-NET. The Railway Minister is also a target in the wake of the recent train mishap in West Bengal.

Demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee into the stock market 'fraud' committed using 'fake exit polls' have been made by several Opposition parties, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Opposition has much to be excited about. The new Lok Sabha will have both Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) also has good numbers in the House along with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The fiery Mahua Moitra is also back.

It is yet to be seen whether the government will cooperate with the opposition and follow the consensus mantra. The short session which will conclude on 3 July will have the President’s address to sitting members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

(Sunil Gatade is a former Associate Editor of the Press Trust of India. Venkatesh Kesari is an independent journalist. This is an opinion article and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)