Om Birla files nomination as NDA candidate for Lok Sabha speaker

Senior BJP MP Om Birla, who was also the Speaker in the last Lok Sabha, will be the NDA nominee for the post this time as well, whereas the opposition INDIA bloc has fielded Congress MP K. Suresh for the post.

Both candidates filed their nominations for the Speaker’s post today, for which the election is scheduled to be held tomorrow.

Earlier, the government and opposition failed to reach a consensus for the post. Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said senior Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda had a meeting with Congress leader KC Venugopal and DMK MP TR Baalu over the issue.

However, they were insisting on announcing the name of the deputy speaker before endorsing OM Birla’s candidature. Piyush Goyal said they were informed that the Deputy Speaker issue would be dealt with at the time of the election. He said the opposition was putting conditions, which were rejected by the government.

Earlier, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the opposition is ready to extend support to the NDA nominee for the speaker post, but the Deputy Speaker post must be given to the opposition candidate.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said Union Minister Rajnath Singh had called Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking support for the Speaker post.

He said that Mr Kharge had told him that the opposition was ready to extend support to the NDA nominee, but, as per convention, the Deputy Speaker post should be given to the opposition.