NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Rajya Sabha leader of opposition, wrote to PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday, urging him to hold the election of the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.Highlighting the vacant status of the position for the two consecutive Lok Sabha terms, Kharge said this “does not augur well for India’s democratic polity and is also in violation of well-laid-out provisions of the Constitution”. “From the First to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, every House has had a Deputy Speaker. By and large, it has been a well-established convention to appoint the Deputy Speaker from among the members of the principal opposition party,” Kharge wrote on X with a letter he wrote to the PM.
He further wrote: “No Deputy Speaker was elected during the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, and this concerning precedent continues in the ongoing Eighteenth Lok Sabha.”
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The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is a key constitutional position in India’s lower house of Parliament. The Deputy Speaker is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha, usually from among themselves, soon after the Speaker is elected. The primary role of the Deputy Speaker is to preside over the proceedings of the Lok Sabha in the absence of the Speaker and to ensure the smooth conduct of the House. The Deputy Speaker has the same powers as the Speaker when presiding, including maintaining order, deciding on points of order, and managing debates. Importantly, the Deputy Speaker is expected to function in a non-partisan manner, similar to the Speaker, despite being elected from a political party. Traditionally, this post is often offered to a member of the opposition or another party to maintain a balance, although this is not mandated by the Constitution. The position is significant for upholding the parliamentary process and ensuring continuity in the functioning of the Lok Sabha when the Speaker is unavailable.The last Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha in India was M. Thambi Durai from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). He served as the Deputy Speaker during the 16th Lok Sabha (2014–2019).
