Virender Kumar to be pro tem Speaker in 17th Lok Sabha: Temporary Lok Sabha moderator's main role is to administer oath to new MPs

BJP MP Virender Kumar was appointed as the pro tem or interim Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The first session of Parliament — the Union Budget — of the NDA-II government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to begin from 17 June. Kumar will administer the oath of office to the newly elected Lok Sabha MPs and will be presiding over the meeting of the Lower House when the Speaker will be elected. The election of the Speaker is likely to be conducted on 19 June. [caption id=“attachment_5828171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of the Parliament of India. Twitter @loksabhatv[/caption] Kumar is the MP elected from Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh. Who is a pro tem Speaker? A pro tem Speaker is the temporary moderator of the Lower House, and is appointed to preside over the first meeting of the Parliament after an election. The election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker happens under the supervision of the pro tem Speaker. The pro tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha is chosen after all MPs of the House agree on a nominee. Often, the senior-most member of the House is chosen to overlook the proceedings. What does a pro tem Speaker do? The essential objective of an interim Speaker is to administer the oath of office to the new Members of Parliament in the House. The powers regarding the pro tem Speakers are not clarified but it is evident that an interim Speaker does not have as much power as the permanent Speaker. For instance, (she) does not exercise the ability to accept or reject defections. But in regular routine work, (she) enjoys the same privilege and immunities as that of a regular Speaker.