Lok Sabha Speaker Elections On June 26; AAP, Congress Urge JDU, TDP To Push For Post

The elections to appoint a new Lok Sabha speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled to take place on June 26. These elections will be held two days after the new session of the parliament begins and all new members are sworn in.

All MPs who won in the 2024 general elections will take their oath to join the Lok Sabha during the first session.

Until a speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha MPs, the member with the most experience and the longest-serving MP will preside as the pro-term speaker. For the 18th Lok Sabha, the pro-term speaker will preside over the first two days of the new session.

Ahead of the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony, it had been speculated that both NDA allies - Janata Dal United and Telugu Desam Party were eying the post of Lok Sabha Speaker.

With the vote now scheduled for June 26, opposition parties - Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have called on the NDA allies to fight for the post from BJP.

Along with AAP and Congress, Shiva Sena UBT has also urged the two NDA allies to push for the post.

Former Rajasthan CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has also warned the NDA allies that if BJP were to retain the post of speaker, then JDU and TDP "must be prepared to witness a horse-trading of their MPs".

At present, the post of the speaker is held by BJP's Om Birla. Birla was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker in 2019 after a motion was moved by PM Modi.

As per Union Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, the 18th Lok Sabha will commence from June 26 and the 264th Session of Rajya Sabha will begin from June 27.

On June 27, President Droupadi Murmu will also be addressing a joint session of the two houses. The sessions for both houses will conclude on July 3.