Updated June 18th, 2019 at 13:05 IST
Two-time Kota MP Om Birla to be NDA's nominee for Speaker of 17th Lok Sabha, fence-sitter parties extend support
Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed Dr Virendra Kumar as the Protem Speaker for the 17th Lok Sabha, Republic has learned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed the name of Kota MP Om Birla as NDA candidate for the post of the speaker of 17th Lok Sabha.
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Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed Dr Virendra Kumar as the Protem Speaker for the 17th Lok Sabha, Republic has learned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed the name of Kota MP Om Birla as NDA candidate for the post of the speaker of 17th Lok Sabha. Along with PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari have also extended support to the proposal for Om Birla's appointment as speaker of 17th Lok Sabha.
Sources have told that leading Opposition parties including Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janta Dal (BJD), AP CM Jagan-led YSRCP have also extended support to Om Birla's candidature for the post of Lok Sabha speaker.
Meanwhile, NDA parties which have given their consent include National People's Party, Mizo National Front, Lok Janshakti Party, JDU, AIADMK, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal and Apna Dal.
Furthermore, speaking to news agency ANI, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that he has met Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in the matter of the appointment of Om Birla as Lok Sabha speaker, adding that while the Grand Old Party has not signed the proposal yet but they won't oppose it.
As the 17th Lok Sabha session enters Day 2 on Tuesday, BJP is likely to appoint 2-time MP from Rajasthan's Kota Om Birla as the Speaker of the House.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP's Om Birla defeated Congress's Ramnarayan Meena with a huge margin of over 2.5 lakh votes in the Kota-Bundi Parliamentary seat. The 57-year-old leader has served as the Rajasthan MLA thrice and MP twice.
He is likely to replace former Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan, who did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, on Monday when the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha began, President Ram Nath Kovind swore in seven-term member of Parliament Virendra Kumar as the pro tem Speaker of the house. He later administered the oath of office to over 300 MPs.
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Published June 18th, 2019 at 12:06 IST