Speaker can become a troubleshooter for Modi, TDP had spoiled Vajpayee’s calculations then, know the power of Lok Sabha Speaker

New Delhi: In comparison to the last two times, this time BJP is far away from the majority figure of 272. In this Lok Sabha election, BJP had won 240 seats. It was 32 points away from the majority figure. Narendra Modi has formed the government with the support of TDP and JDU for the third time in a row. The BJP-led coalition NDA has formed the government on the basis of 16 seats won by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and 12 seats won by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU. That is why the post of Speaker is very important for BJP which is far from the majority figure. Let us understand how much this post matters. In the last two Lok Sabhas, BJP’s Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla were the Speakers.

How powerful is the position of the speaker

The speaker is the head and presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. The speaker is responsible for how the Lok Sabha will function. Under Article 108 of the Constitution, the speaker presides over the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament. The speaker decides the agenda of parliamentary sittings. he/she gives permission to motions like adjournment motion or no-confidence motion. If there is any dispute on any rule of the House, he/she interprets that rule in this regard and implements that rule in the House, which cannot be challenged in any court. The post of the speaker should be impartial. The speaker can also suspend MPs who violate decorum. The main job of the speaker is to protect the interests of the government. If he/she disagrees with the government, problems may arise.

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The speaker also has this power

Which member can vote on any bill or important issue in the Parliament and who cannot. When will the House sit and when will it be adjourned. Legally, all these decisions are taken by the Lok Sabha Speaker. To prevent any MP from switching from one party to another, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced the anti-defection law in 1985. The Speaker also decides on the disqualification of members who change sides under the anti-defection law. However, in 1992, the Supreme Court had made it clear in a decision that the Speaker’s decision can be challenged in court.

What do the two partners have to say?

TDP leaders say that the selection of the speaker’s candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker will be done only with the consent of the NDA allies. At the same time, JDU leader KC Tyagi has indicated that whichever candidate the BJP chooses, JDU will support him/her in any case. Article 93 of the Constitution states that the House will elect two of its members as Speaker and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible.

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Trying to coordinate with the opposition

In fact, in independent India, the Lok Sabha speaker has always been elected unanimously. It is believed that this time India Block can also contest the Speaker’s election. It is being said that the opposition alliance is demanding the post of Deputy Speaker. In such a situation, if it does not get the post of Deputy Speaker, then it can also contest the Speaker’s election. The government is trying to garner support from the opposition parties in the matter of the Speaker’s election. Usually the post of Speaker goes to the ruling party and the post of Deputy Speaker goes to the opposition, but in the last Lok Sabha, the post of Deputy Speaker was vacant.

There is a provision for the election of the speaker in the constitution

Provision for the election of Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker has been made in Article 93 of the Constitution. A special session of Parliament is starting from June 24. New MPs will be sworn in for two days. In such a situation, the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker will be held on June 26, while the date for the election of the Deputy Speaker will be decided by the Speaker. On June 27, President Draupadi Murmu will address the joint session of Parliament.

First pro tem speaker will be appointed

After the formation of the new government, a pro tem speaker is appointed to administer the oath to the MPs. According to tradition, the most senior member of the Lok Sabha is appointed. The Lok Sabha speaker is elected under the supervision of the pro tem speaker. The government and the opposition together announce the name of the candidate for the speaker. After this, the Prime Minister or the Parliamentary Affairs Minister proposes the name of the candidate. It is believed that PM Modi will propose the name of the candidate for the speaker on June 26.

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Voting is also possible in the election of the speaker

If there are more than one candidates, different names are proposed one after the other and if necessary, voting is also done. The person whose name is proposed is elected as the Speaker. The tenure of the Speaker is from the date of his/her election till just before the first meeting of the next Lok Sabha.

How is the Deputy Speaker elected

The date for the election of the Speaker is decided by the President, while the date for the election of the Deputy Speaker is decided by the Speaker. The election of the Deputy Speaker is done in the same way as the election of the Speaker. If there is only one candidate, then a proposal is placed in the House and it is passed. If there are more than one candidates, voting is done. Only a person who is a member of the Lok Sabha can become the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The tenure of both is five years.

When TDP’s speaker was in Atal government

On 13 March 1998, the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was formed. At that time too, TDP had supported the BJP government. At that time too, TDP had got its leader GMC Balayogi appointed as the speaker. After the government ran for 13 months, another NDA ally DMK suddenly withdrew support from the Atal government. After this, the responsibility of the Lok Sabha speaker became important.

No-confidence motion came against Atal government

The then TDP speaker Balayogi had got the voting done on the no-confidence motion brought on April 17, 1999 to test the majority of the ruling Atal government at the Centre.

A slip of Balayogi had spoilt the game

Speaker Balayogi extended a slip to Lok Sabha Secretary General S Gopalan. In that slip, Balayogi had allowed Congress MP Giridhar Gomang to vote on the basis of his/her discretion. Actually, Gomang had become the Chief Minister of Odisha in February itself, but he/she had not resigned from his/her Lok Sabha membership till then. Being a member of the House, he/she had the right to vote. Gomang had cast his/her vote against the Atal government. 269 votes were cast in favor of the Atal government and 270 against it.