• Source:JND
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BJP leader Om Birla on Wednesday made it to the record books after the Kota MP was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second consecutive term through voice vote. This is the first time a Speaker has been elected for a second successive term. The house echoed with 'Ayes' and 'Noes' and the pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker. The opposition which had fielded K Suresh as the Speaker candidate of the INDIA bloc did not press for a division vote.

After his win, the newly elected Speaker, Om Birla, was escorted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. PM Modi also greeted Rahul Gandhi before escorting Birla to the Chair, marking a moment of bipartisan harmony after a day of rancour between the ruling alliance and opposition parties over the poll.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh moved the motion to elect Om Birla as the Speaker, a day after the ruling NDA announced his name as its candidate. NDA allies including JD(U)'s Rajiv Ranjan Singh, HAM(S)'s Jitan Ram Manjhi, Shiv Sena member Prataprao Jadhav, LJP(RV) member Chirag Paswan also moved separate motions to elect Birla as LS Speaker.

Om Birla contested against Congress' Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term parliamentarian from Kerala's Mavelikara, and the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha. After the INDIA bloc fielded its candidate, the appointment of Speaker became interesting as the election was held for the first time in decades. Birla is the first Speaker after Balram Jakhar, who was in the Chair between 1980 and 1989, to get another term after serving a full tenure.

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Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker were elected through consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. The NDA, which commands 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, holds a clear majority, while the opposition INDIA bloc comprises 234 MPs.

Congratulating Birla on his re-election as Lok Sabha Speaker, PM Modi expressed confidence that "he will guide parliamentarians and play a big role in the House fulfilling people's expectations." The prime minister lauded the third-term MP for his conduct as Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha and also as a parliamentarian. "Birla's sweet smile keeps the House happy," PM Modi said.

The previous Lok Sabha notched up to 97 per cent productivity, the highest in 25 years, he said, adding that Birla ensured the House's functioning even during the Covid period and maintained its dignity and decorum, at times by taking difficult decision. In over the last two decades, outgoing speakers either did not contest elections or lost in the poll, the PM said, adding Birla created history in this sense as well.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also congratulated Birla on his re-election and said that he hoped the Opposition would be allowed to raise the voice of people in the House. He also said the Opposition wanted the House to function "often and well" and added that it was very important that cooperation happens with trust.

"I'd like to congratulate you for your successful election... I congratulate you on behalf of the entire INDIA alliance. This House represents the voice of people of India... Of course the government has political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of India's people," the Congress leader said, adding, "The opposition would like to assist you in your work. I am confident you will allow us to speak in House," he said.

Pointing out that this time the opposition represents significantly more voices of the Indian people than last time, Gandhi stressed that it was very important that the voice of the opposition is allowed to be represented in the House. "I am confident that you will allow us to represent our voice, allow us to speak, to represent voice of people of India," he said.