First Session of 18th Lok Sabha To Start With Hiccups, Opposition Protests BJP’s Pro-tem Speaker Choice. The 18th Lok Sabha will meet for the first time following the swearing in of the new NDA coalition government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Opposition will return in full force and spotlight the issues that have riddled the country over the past couple of months.
And the contentious hotspot that is likely to disrupt the meeting is the government’s choice of the pro-tem Speaker that has been given to BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, a seven-time MP. The Opposition believes K Suresh, a Congress MP for eight terms, should have been given the position. Jairam Ramesh, Senior Congress leader, said MP Ramesh Chandappa Jijajinagi, who is in his seventh consecutive term, was the man for the post.
He said Kodikunnil Suresh of the INC, who is in his eighth term, should have been Speaker Protem. Ramesh highlighted the BJP’s choice questioning why was Jijajinagi not considered and spotlighted him being a Dalit like Suresh.
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BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawallah replied that the Congress should appoint Suresh as the Leader of the Opposition. He also suggested that Congress make Kodikunnil Suresh the CM face of the UDF for the 2026 Kerala elections. Moreover, Poonawallah asked why was there so much stress over a temporary position. However, Suresh said an eighth-term MP should be the pro-term Speaker. The MP from Kerala’s Mavelikara added that the country is criticizing BJP’s decision
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that pro-tem speaker has never been an issue in the history of the Indian Parliament. He argued that the pro-tem speaker is just to administer the oath to the newly elected members and assist in the election of the new speaker. Rijiju added that the new speaker will be elected on Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha will convene at 11 a.m.
