New Delhi: There was a lot of uproar over the post of Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. Among these, the NDA has elected Om Birla as the speaker by voice vote. But there is still doubt on the vice president. In fact, the Deputy Speaker has not been elected yet and the Congress has performed very well in the current Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, the Congress wants the opposition MP to be given this post.
In the 17th Lok Sabha, the Modi government has kept the post of deputy speaker vacant, but this time the Congress is insisting on making one of its leaders the deputy speaker. In such a situation, the question arises as to why the Congress is insisting on this position. However, AIADMK’s M Thambidurai got this position in the 16th Lok Sabha.
Importantly, the Congress had been saying until Wednesday morning that if the BJP is ready to give the post of Deputy Speaker, then the Lok Sabha will withdraw the nomination of its candidate for the Speaker, but no such proposal came from the BJP. From the 6th Lok Sabha to the 16th Lok Sabha, the post of Deputy Speaker was with the opposition.
In the absence of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Speaker has the same powers as the Speaker. In such a situation, if the Speaker wants to resign from his post, he has to submit his resignation to the Deputy Speaker. Apart from this, according to Article 95 of the Constitution, if the post of the Speaker is vacant or the Speaker is not present in the House, the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker of the House. At that time, all the powers of the Speaker are with the Deputy Speaker. It also includes the power to maintain order and discipline in the House and to punish a member after suspension for misconduct.
The date of the election of the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker. Elections for this post are usually held in the second session. However, there is no restriction on conducting elections even in the first session of the new Lok Sabha. The Deputy Speaker is also elected like the Speaker. In other words, the party needs a majority to make its candidate the vice-president. However, there is a tradition that the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected from the opposition party. Congress had a majority in the Lok Sabha formed in 2009. However, BJP MP Karia Munda became the vice president.
