“Today’s Political Focus: NDA’s Choice for Speaker Post, INDIA Bloc’s Strategy; High Court Decision on Kejriwal’s Bail Awaited”
The stage is set for the ruling BJP-led NDA to announce its candidate for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Tuesday, marking the beginning of nominations for this crucial position. Consultations within the BJP
The stage is set for the ruling BJP-led NDA to announce its candidate for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Tuesday, marking the beginning of nominations for this crucial position.
Consultations within the BJP and its NDA allies are underway to finalize their nominee for the Speaker’s post. Meanwhile, the opposition INDIA bloc is evaluating its options and may contest if their demand for the Deputy Speaker’s position isn’t met by the Narendra Modi government.
Senior RSP MP N K Premachandran indicated that the opposition might field a candidate for the Speaker’s post if the Modi government fails to foster consensus on the candidate. RSP is aligned with the INDIA bloc.
On Monday, the first day of the new Lok Sabha session, there was a noticeable shift as the opposition, occupying more than a third of the House benches, withdrew from the panel assisting Pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab. They protested Mahtab’s appointment, favoring BJP’s seven-term MP over Congress’s eight-term MP Kodikunnil Suresh.
Potential candidates for the Speaker’s post include BJP leaders Radha Mohan Singh, D Purandeswari, and former Speaker Om Birla. INDIA bloc may nominate K Suresh in case of a contest. NDA holds 293 MPs in the House while the INDIA alliance has 233 MPs.
The Speaker’s election is scheduled for Wednesday, with oath-taking of newly-elected MPs continuing on Tuesday. Prime Minister Modi and members of his Council of Ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, took their oath as MPs on Monday.
In a separate development, the Delhi High Court is expected to deliver its verdict on Tuesday regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s plea challenging the trial court’s decision to grant bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.
Kejriwal defended the bail order, arguing that staying its operation would effectively cancel the bail, while the ED contended that the trial court’s decision was flawed. The AAP leader also moved the Supreme Court against the high court’s interim stay on his bail.
Additionally, the Congress initiated consultations on Monday to strategize for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly polls, with party leaders discussing plans for Maharashtra and Haryana’s Assembly elections scheduled for October.
