BJP lawmaker Virendra Kumar to be interim Lok Sabha speaker
According to reports, Bharatiya Janata Party's Dr. Virendra Kumar will be the pro-tem or interim speaker for the 17th Lok Sabha. He will hold the position until a permanent speaker is elected. Notably, after PM Narendra Modi along with his Cabinet ministers took oath on May 30, there were reports that Maneka Gandhi might be given the post. Gandhi is a former Union Minister.
Who is a pro-tem speaker and how is he selected?
A pro-tem speaker is chosen by elected members of Parliament or legislative assembly. The main duty of the interim speaker is to administer the oath of elected lawmakers and enable the House to vote for a new speaker. Once the speaker is elected, there is no relevance of a pro-tem speaker. Usually, the senior most member of the House is elected as pro-tem speaker.
Dr. Kumar is a Lok Sabha veteran
Dr. Kumar is a lawmaker from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh. He completed his Masters in Economics and did his Ph.D. in Child Labor from Dr. Harisingh Gaur University, Sagar, MP. He was also involved with ABVP and RSS. He was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs Ministry in the previous government.
Gandhi was dropped from Cabinet, didn't become pro-tem speaker either
Interestingly, Gandhi wasn't the only one in the race for pro-tem speaker post. Reports claimed SS Ahluwalia, a six-time parliamentarian, was also being considered for the post. To recall, Gandhi didn't handle the snub of being excluded from the Cabinet well. When the eight-time MP was questioned on why she was dropped, she replied, "You can get the answer from the people of Sultanpur."
The 17th Lok Sabha session will start on June 17
The first session of 17th Lok Sabha will begin on June 17 and for next two days, MPs will take the oath. The speaker will be elected on June 19 and on June 20, President Ram Nath Kovind will address both Houses of the Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her first budget on July 5. The session will end on July 26.
