# Om Birla and K. Suresh to Face Off in First-Ever Election for Lok Sabha Speaker
New Delhi: In an unprecedented development, no consensus has been reached on the Lok Sabha Speaker, leading to the first-ever contest for the post in independent India. BJP MP Om Birla will be the NDA nominee, while the opposition INDIA bloc has fielded Congress MP K. Suresh for the role. Both candidates filed their nominations today, and the election is scheduled for tomorrow.
Defence Minister Reaches Out to Build Consensus
Defence Minister and BJP veteran Rajnath Singh made efforts to build a consensus by reaching out to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. However, the opposition decided to offer conditional support to Om Birla, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament this morning.
Opposition Stance Criticized
Union Minister Piyush Goyal criticized the opposition’s stance, stating, “The Opposition is putting forward its conditions. We condemn this kind of politics. It is best to have a consensus candidate going by tradition. What the Opposition is doing is against the tradition.”
High-Level Meetings Fail to Resolve Issue
Senior Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda met with Congress leader KC Venugopal and DMK MP TR Baalu to discuss the issue. The opposition insisted on announcing the deputy speaker before endorsing Birla’s candidature. Goyal clarified that the deputy speaker issue would be addressed at the time of the election, rejecting the opposition’s conditions.
Rahul Gandhi Voices Opposition’s Conditions
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi indicated that the opposition was willing to support the NDA nominee if the Deputy Speaker post was given to an opposition candidate. Speaking outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi mentioned that Rajnath Singh had sought support from Congress President Kharge, who relayed the opposition’s condition.
Om Birla’s Previous Tenure as Speaker
Om Birla, a BJP MP from Kota-Bundi constituency in Rajasthan, previously served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024. The ruling BJP-led NDA, now needing allies to run the government, is under pressure from the opposition after its tally fell from 303 to 240 seats.
Political Landscape Remains Tense
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers took oath as the MPs of Lok Sabha. The political landscape remains tense as the nation awaits the outcome of this historic election.
