New Delhi: With the first session of the newly-formed 17th Lok Sabha commencing on June 17, all eyes are on the appointment of the Speaker, who will conduct the proceedings of House over the next five years.
According to sources, former Union ministers Jual Oram and S S Ahluwalia are also among the probable candidates.
Former Tribal Affairs Minister, Oram is a five-time MP from Odisha. He is the country’s first minister for tribal affairs and has won from Sundargarh in 1998, 1999 and 2004. In 2009, he lost to former Congress Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal, before winning the seat back in 2014 and 2019.
On the other hand, SS Ahluwalia, a six-time Member of Parliament and former Union minister, is seen as a strong contender for the post. A four-term Rajya Sabha member, Ahluwalia won the Lok Sabha polls from Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.
Besides, several senior BJP parliamentarians, including former Union ministers Maneka Gandhi, Radha Mohan Singh, and Virender Kumar, are in contention for the post of Lok Sabha speaker.
Eight-term MP Maneka Gandhi, who was the former Union Minister for Women and Child Development, is the most experienced BJP lawmaker in Lok Sabha and is being seen as a natural choice for the speaker’s post. She is also likely to be appointed as pro-tem speaker, being the senior most parliamentarian in the seventeenth Lok Sabha.
Radha Mohan Singh, who was Agriculture Minister in the previous government, is also seen to be a contender for the post. Singh is into his sixth term from Lok Sabha and represents Purvi Champaran constituency of Bihar.
Sources have also revealed that the post of deputy speaker may go to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) this time and Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, who was awarded as the best parliamentarian award for 2017, is being considered for the post.
The first session of the new Lok Sabha is scheduled to commence on June 17. Election to the post of the speaker will be held on June 19.
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Ms Kalinga