18th Lok Sabha to have Deputy Speaker. Will INDIA bloc get it?

The post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, which remained vacant under Modi 2.0, is expected to be filled again, but the suspense over who would be offered the position continues.

A report by The Indian Express quoted government sources as saying that the 18th Lok Sabha will have a Deputy Speaker, but it has not yet been decided if it should be offered to the Opposition or NDA allies or the BJP would keep it.

“There will be discussions on it,” the report mentioned the government sources as saying.

Slugfest over Deputy Speaker post continues

The Opposition had the post of Deputy Speaker continuously from 1990 to 2014. This time, failing to get the spot of the Pro-Tem Speaker, it had been eyeing the Deputy Speaker post.

By convention, if the Speaker is from the ruling party, the Deputy Speaker is from the opposition.

Buoyed by its increased strength in the 18th Lok Sabha, the Congress-led INDIA bloc has been persistently demanding the post of the Deputy Speaker.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha Speaker’s election on June 26, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that the Opposition was willing to support the NDA’s candidate – Om Birla – provided the government followed the parliamentary convention and gave the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition.

The government, however, brushed off its demands since the Opposition forced a last-minute contest on the Speaker’s post. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also said there is no precondition for the Opposition to get the post of Deputy Speaker.

PTI quoted sources as saying that the NDA has emphasised that the INDI alliance has not been “promised” the Deputy Speaker post and soon an announcement of nominees will be made following which proper elections will be held.

As per the sources to PTI, the NDA has not rejected the Opposition’s claim on the post, but criticised its insistence that its nominee should be given the position, saying such a precondition could not be considered during the Speaker’s election.

The BJP-led alliance further said that the demand of the Opposition can be considered when the Deputy Speaker election takes place but it should not impose any precondition.

Meanwhile, NDTV quoted sources as saying that the Deputy Speaker post is likely to be given to NDA and not the Opposition. There is speculation that it may be given to Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

It is being said that the Deputy Speaker post may be given to Harish Balayogi, son of TDP’s GMC Balayogi who held the Speaker’s post when the NDA under Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power.

The decision of BJP to give Deputy Speaker’s post to alliance partner, is seen as the party’s move to keep allies like Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar happy by considering their parties’ MPs for the position.

However, the TDP has said it has made very clear that it does not want the post and neither they were approached by the BJP for the same.

“We are not aspiring for the post. We have made it very clear. The BJP too has not approached us to fill the post,” a report by The Indian Express quoted TDP national spokesperson Pattabi Ram Kommareddy as saying.

Another senior TDP leader said, “From the beginning, the TDP has not expressed its interest in either the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker post. We have left it open to the other (NDA) allies, that is if they are interested.”

Who was the last Deputy Speaker?

The post of the Deputy Speaker remained vacant in the 17th Lok Sabha, first time in the history of Independent India. At the time, reports stated that the single largest Opposition party must have a strength of 56 in order to have a member as the Deputy Speaker. In 2019 polls, the Congress bagged victory on only 44 seats.

In 2014, AIADMK’s M Thambi Durai was Deputy Speaker.

During the Congress-led UPA’s two terms, the post was offered to the BJP and its MPs Charanjit Singh Atwal and Kariya Munda became Deputy Speaker in 2004 and 2009, respectively.

Roles & responsibilities of Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker holds the second highest post in the Lok Sabha after the Speaker. Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker is also elected by MPs of the lower house.

As per Article 95(1) of the Constitution, the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker if the post is vacant.

Also Read:
Why is the Congress demanding the Deputy Speaker’s post in Lok Sabha? What does history reveal?

The Deputy Speaker has the same general powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House. All references to the “Speaker” in the Rules are deemed to be references to the Deputy Speaker as well for the times when he or she presides.

Similar to the Speaker, his/her deputy also gets to cast the deciding vote if there is a tie during voting within Parliament or between both houses.