India: Opposition gears up for Deputy Speaker election amidst Om Birla's win as Speaker

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) denied the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc's proposal for the Deputy Speaker seat in exchange for their endorsement of the NDA Speaker nominee.

Initially, the INDIA bloc requested the Deputy Speaker role. However, due to the BJP's lack of response, the INDIA bloc nominated Congress MP K Suresh for the Speaker's position.

With 29 years of service, K Suresh, a member of the INDIA group, is the Lok Sabha MP with the longest tenure. In 2024, he won his ninth Lok Sabha election from Mavelikkara, Kerala, after serving four terms as a representative.

The BJP-led NDA government and the Congress-led INDIA opposition were unable to agree on a nominee, hence the Lok Sabha speaker position was up for election for the first time in decades. There have only been three elections for the position thus far, in 1952, 1967, and 1976.

Watch |India: Om Birla vs K Suresh | Government vs Opposition speaker

On Wednesday, Om Birla, the nominee for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was chosen as Speaker of the House.Prime Minister Narendra Modi movedmotion for Birla's election as speaker of the Lok Sabha. Birla was congratulated by Rahul Gandhi, the head of the opposition, PM Modi, and other opposition and NDA leaders. Members of the main opposition Congress Party and the ruling BJP were instructed to be present in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

India bloc on Om Birla'selection as Speaker

"...As far as the election is concerned, when the Parliamentary traditions were disregarded, we registered our protest in a democratic manner - that the Deputy Speaker should be from Opposition. They didn't do it...As far as division (of votes) is concerned, why did the ruling side and its allies not demand it?..." said Congress MP Pramod Tiwari in reference to BJP MP Om Birla's election as Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

(With inputs from agencies)