Bhartrihari Mahtab has been appointed as the Speaker Protem of the 18th Lok Sabha. This announcement was made today by the President’s office.
As speaker Protem, Bhartrihari Mahtab will oversee the administration of the oath to the newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The 18th parliament will be convened on Monday. The seven-time MP from Cuttack had moved to the BJP ahead of the election after years with Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal, expressing displeasure over the party’s functioning.
The appointment of Mahtab to the post deepens the mystery over the post of the Speaker, for which leaders from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were apparently being considered. The BJP has won thumping victories in the assembly elections in both states, and needs to reward the state leaders.
The name of Mahtab and D Purandeshwari, the chief of the BJP’s Andhra Pradesh unit, were doing the rounds for the Speaker’s post, which was being eyed by allies Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.
A face-off with the Opposition is likely over the post of the Deputy Speaker. Traditionally the Deputy is an Opposition appointee. But in case the government refuses to oblige, Opposition leaders, in private, have talked of pushing an election for the Speaker post – which would be a first.
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