Hindu Businessline, June 03, 2019
Maneka Gandhi likely to be the pro tem Speaker
Former Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has emerged as the front-runner for the post of Speaker in the Lok Sabha.
The other names being considered are eight-term MP and former Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and veteran leader SS Ahluwalia.
Singh, a low-profile RSS worker, whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as his “friend” during an election rally in Motihari, Bihar in 2014, is most likely to be elected as Speaker on June 19. The first Lok Sabha convenes on June 17th.
While Radha Mohan Singh is expected to be the Speaker, it is likely that Maneka Gandhi will be the pro temSpeaker appointed by the President a day prior to the House convening. This is on account of seniority because Maneka Gandhi, owing to her having been elected for eight terms, is among the most senior MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The process
To appoint the pro tem Speaker, a list of the senior -most Members of the House is submitted by the Legislative Section to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister for selection. The candidate is then appointed and sworn in by the President.
The Election of the Speaker will be conducted by the pro tem Speaker through a motion in the House. After the election, the Speaker is led to the Chair by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and the pro tem Speaker vacates the Chair. “The pro tem Speaker is sworn in by the President. He or she conducts the business, including the election of the Speaker, which is done through a motion. After the election, of the Speaker, the House adjourns,” said former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha P D T Acharya.
The chronology of the first session of the 17tth Lok Sabha has been fixed with the summoning of the House approved by the Union Cabinet for June 17. The Session is expected to conclude on Friday, July 26. The Rajya Sabha will be convened on June 20.
The President will be requested to address both the Houses of Parliament, assembled together in the Central Hall of Parliament, on June 20 at 11 am in term of article 87(1) of the Constitution. The Union Budget for 2019-20 will be presented in the Lok Sabha on Friday, July 5, 2019 at 11.00 am.
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