Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sumitra Mahajan will be the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha with senior leaders from all parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, moving motions on Thursday proposing her name for the high office.
Sumitra Mahajan, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and one of the most experienced Parliamentarians, looks set to be the next Lok Sabha Speaker. According to sources, the 71-year-old leader from Madhya Pradesh has been sounded by party chief Rajnath Singh about the new assignment.
Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was on Friday unanimously elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, becoming the second woman presiding officer of the Lower House after her predecessor Meira Kumar.
Mahajan, who turns 76 next week, said there had been speculations whether the party will field someone who has crossed the 75-year age bar.
Mahajan is the first woman MP to win a record eight consecutive elections. In 2014, she had defeated her nearest rival, Satyanarayan Patel of the Congress, by a staggering margin of 4,66,901 votes.
The purchase of a Rs 48.25 lakh swanky Jaguar XE as the new official car for Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has raised eyebrows with the opposition Congress on Friday asking her to reconsider using the luxury vehicle.
Irked by frequent disruptions from senior members, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday advised them to desist from it as they would present a bad example before the newly elected members of Parliament.
With strained government-opposition ties marring the functioning of previous Lok Sabha, new Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday said creating 'coordination' among parties will be her top priority and she will be 'gentle but firm' to ensure smooth proceedings.
Looking at her and talking to her, you could be forgiven for wondering how she will handle such a tough job as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Demanding that the Banerjee Committee report be placed on the table of the House, Mr Madhusoodhan Mistry (Congress) said, "Mr Modi should not be allowed to continue even for a single day as chief minister as he has failed to do his duty."
Veteran doctor and educationist from Karnataka Belle Monappa Hegde and archaeology legend B B Lal were also given the Padma Vibhushan awards.
Sangma was a nine-time member of Lok Sabha and the Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha. He had also held important portfolios in the central government.
Amid continuous disruptions by Opposition members, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss better functioning of the Lok Sabha, proceedings of which have been virtually washed out in the monsoon session so far.
The Lok Sabha on Monday felicitated badminton star Saina Nehwal and tennis player Sania Mirza.
There were 66 women members of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha, i.e. 12.45 per cent of the Lok Sabha MPs were women.
Birla, 57, has been MLA from Rajasthan thrice and MP twice.
Congress cornered Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, accusing her of 'bias' in the House.
Three Parliamentarians, including Bharatiya Janata Party's Maheish Girri, have asked the Lok Sabha Speaker to send Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann to a "rehab centre", alleging he comes to the House "intoxicated".
Unabated uproar by Congress members in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday invited the wrath of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who called their protests "murder of democracy" and "hijacking" the rights of 440 members by 40-50 others in the Opposition.
Speaker refuses to adjourn Lok Sabha despite the ruckus, in the Rajya Sabha it was the same old story.
Shiv Sena members on Wednesday created uproar in Lok Sabha over alleged police action against Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum district in Karnataka, leading to disruption of the Question Hour.
The controversial Land Ordinance was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday by Union Minister of State for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress and Biju Janata Dal appear to be unwilling to have seats in Lok Sabha along with Congress which has the largest number of seats in the non-governmental side.
A 10-time Lok Sabha MP, Chatterjee was a central committee member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which he had joined in 1968. He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.
"If you are so bent on giving suggestions, you should elect a new Speaker," an angry Speaker Sumitra Mahajan remarked on Friday as she pulled up Jyotiraditya Scindia and Pappu Yadav for causing repeated disruptions and unruly scenes in the Lok Sabha, including tearing of papers.
After a week-long washout, Lok Sabha transacted some business on Monday as two bills were introduced and another taken up for consideration even as Congress and some other parties continued their vociferous protests, along with display of placards.
With the Congress gunning for Smriti Irani with a privilege Motion, the BJP hit back by pressing for similar action against Jyotiraditya Scindia.
As soon as the Zero Hour commenced at noon, AIADMK and TDP members trooped in the Well, raising slogans and carrying banners demanding stalling of a dam on river Cauvery and special state status to Andhra Pradesh respectively.
The resolution asserted that the House "is of the firm and considered view that there cannot be any compromise on unity, integrity and national security.
In the session which concluded on Wednesday, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan preferred to carry on with the listed business even as protesting Congress members stormed the Well and shouted slogans, many times walking out of the House for the day.
A total of 13 motions were moved in support of Birla.
Opposition on Monday created ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the release of separatist leader Masarat Alam
"I did not take the name of (any) party... I will definitely expunge the 'vested interest' remark... I am sorry," Sumitra Mahajan said referring to the words she had used when the Congress members were protesting in the well of the House.
The Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday after 19 sittings that saw the passage of 14 legislation while Rajya Sabha came to an end after passing nine bills.
The second half of the Budget session of Parliament began on Monday with the opposition aggressively demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology over intemperate comments made by Union minister Giriraj Singh.
Congress members created an uproar over a range of issues, including remarks made by certain Bharatiya Janata Party MPs against its leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and the revocation of suspension of six of its members.
The winter session of Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Tuesday after passing 18 legislations, including amendment bills on amend coal mines allocation and labour laws, in 22 sittings.
The swearing in of the new members will begin on Thursday and continue on Friday, when the Lok Sabha speaker will be elected. Rediff.com contributor Renu Mittal reports
The ordinance over the Polavaram irrigation project triggered the first protest in the 16th Lok Sabha with Telangana Rashtra Samiti members storming the Well against the measure.
The debate on the Rafale jet fighter deal saw a head-on collision between the government and the Congress in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
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