For the first time in nearly 50 years, elections for India’s Lok Sabha speaker will see a spirited contest as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been unable to strike a consensus with the now much stronger Congress-led opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
While the NDA has fielded former speaker Om Birla, INDIA has picked Congress leader and senior-most Lok Sabha MP Kodikunnil Suresh.
The speaker will be elected on Wednesday. On Thursday, Indian President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint session of both Houses of Parliament.
This is only the third time that elections will be held for the Lok Sabha speaker position.
The first such contest occurred in 1952, followed by the second in 1976.
The latest contest is likely to see a much narrower victory margin.
In the just concluded 2024 general elections, the NDA secured 293 seats -- well above the halfway mark of 272 -- while INDIA bagged 234 seats. A total of 16 seats were won by Independents or other regional parties.
Before Suresh filed his nomination for the post, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that INDIA bloc was ready to extend support to NDA’s Speaker candidate, but the post of deputy speaker should be given to the opposition.
