Lok Sabha Speaker Elections, 2024- A first in 50 years!

Lok Sabha Speaker Elections, 2024- A first in 50 years!

Do you know? A rare political event took place on the 26th Of June 2024!

Elections for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker were held, conducted only thrice before in the history of Indian politics. The first such contest was in 1952 between GV Mavalankar and Shankar Shantaram, then in 1967, and the latest in 1976.

The NDA nominee for the post of the Speaker was Kota MP Om Birla, while the INDIA Bloc nominee is K Suresh, senior Congress leader from Kerala, and Birla emerged victorious, by a voice vote.

Why is the post so important?

The post of the speaker in Lok Sabha is essential to the functioning of sessions in the parliament. The speaker is responsible for maintaining order and decorum, as well as deciding the agenda for parliamentary meetings. The role also includes allowing motions, adjournments, and applying the rules of the House, while remaining non-partisan. The speaker also holds power to disqualify members on account of unruly behaviour, under the 10th schedule of the constitution.

Due to this key position in the parliament, the ruling party and opposition often rally for their nominee to be appointed as the speaker.

How is the speaker elected?

The elections require nomination to be filled a day before, and the contest to be held by voice vote, through Ayes and Noes. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority, meaning that the candidate who receives more than half of the votes from the members present in the house becomes the Speaker. When a question is decided by this method, the Chairman does not announce the numbers of “Ayes” and “Noes” division by count. 

This year, the blocs were supposed to file their nomination on 25th June, and the contest was to be held on 26th June. 

Why is it happening?

In the previous, 17th Lok Sabha, NDA candidate Om Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker, and was supported by all the major parties, including the opposition. However, 2024 speaker elections are especially crucial since no party has passed the majority vote mark on its own. In a a coalition government, with a strong opposition, parliamentary politics take center stage. The opposition sought the position of Deputy Speaker as it is usual convention since it was now a major opposing block officially. However, due to non-compliance and disagreements, this was not cleared within the parties. Due to this, a nomination was filed by the opposition for the post of the speaker as well, which has previously always been a position of the ruling party.

In this political landscape, the role of the speaker becomes even more impactful in conducting sessions and influencing the manner in which parliamentary discussions are conducted and bills are passed.

We hope these developments ensure smooth functioning of the parliamentary sessions and good governance for the nation.

Read More: Retests, Exam Cancellations, Discrepancies and Irregularities in Exams - How To Deal With the Chaos?