The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a meeting at the residence of Union Minister Ajay Tamta on Tuesday, the second day of the 18th Lok Sabha ahead of the election to the post of Speaker.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam and other party leaders were present in the meeting.
Om Birla, the NDA nominee for the Speaker’s post met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament House on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, G M Harish (Balayogi) whip of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has issued a three-line whip to all TDP Members of Parliament, mandating their presence and vote for the NDA candidate, Om Birla, in the upcoming Speaker elections. All members have been requested to gather at the Parliamentary office by 10:30 am on Wednesday. The TDP is a key ally of the BJP in the NDA 3.0 government.
Efforts by the BJP’s top leadership to reach a consensus on the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha came to naught when the INDIA bloc decided to nominate 8-time MP K Suresh for the post.
His nomination followed the filing of nomination by BJP’s Kota MP Om Birla for the same position. Birla previously served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
Comments