Parliament session begins today, Speaker's election first test of Modi 3.0

The newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha will take an oath of office today (June 24). On June 26, the Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected. On June 27, President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint session of both Houses.

The dispute surrounding Bhartruhari Mahtab, a seven-term member of the BJP, being named pro tem Speaker is expected to cloud the proceedings. The opposition has criticized the action, claiming that the administration disregarded Congressman K. Suresh’s claim to the office.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju claimed that Mahtab was qualified for the position because he had served seven consecutive terms as a member of the Lok Sabha.

While Suresh lost elections in 1998 and 2004, making this his fourth consecutive term in the lower house, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Mahtab had served seven consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha, qualifying him for the position. He had previously been elected in 1989, 1991, 1996, and 1999 to the Lok Sabha.

At Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday, Mahtab, the pro tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha, will be administered the oath by President Droupadi Murmu.

At 11 a.m., Mahtab will arrive at Parliament House and declare the Lok Sabha open.

Mahtab will then call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, to take oath as member of the House.

The pro tem Speaker will then administer an oath to the panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist him in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker on June 26.

The President has appointed Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T.R. Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) to assist Mr. Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha.

After the panel of chairpersons, the pro tem Speaker will administer the oath/affirmation as Lok Sabha members to the Council of Ministers. The members from States, in alphabetical order, will take oath or make affirmation over the next two days.

The election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place on Wednesday and the Prime Minister will introduce his Council of Ministers to the House soon after.

The President is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address will begin on June 28. The Prime Minister is expected to respond to the debate on July 2 or 3.

Both the Houses are expected to go into a brief recess and re-assemble on July 22 for the presentation of the Union Budget.