Om Birla’s Second Term: Om Birla, the nominee from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was officially elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. This election took place through a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and adopted via voice votes.

During the session, the house resounded with ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’, and pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the new Speaker. Although the opposition had put forward K Suresh as their candidate from the INDIA bloc, they did not insist on a division vote.

Following the announcement, Prime Minister Modi, along with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, escorted Om Birla to the Speaker’s chair. PM Modi congratulated Birla on behalf of the entire House and expressed anticipation for his guidance over the next five years. He also remarked on Birla’s warm smile and its positive impact on the House.

This marks the first time the Lok Sabha Speaker was elected through a vote, breaking the tradition of unanimous selection. The opposition had demanded conditions for the deputy speaker, emphasizing that democracy should not be conditional.

Prime Minister Modi moved the motion in the Lok Sabha to elect Om Birla as Speaker amid a contentious atmosphere with the opposition’s INDIA bloc, which had traditionally seen the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elected by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.

The election featured Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan, against Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term parliamentarian from Mavelikara, Kerala. Suresh holds the distinction of being the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.