Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha: Election, powers, history and current tussle explained
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The INDIA bloc is vying for the Deputy Speaker’s post, which is traditionally offered to the Opposition, and has been lying vacant since June 2019.
The story so far: After a rare contested Speaker election in the Lok Sabha, the Opposition is seeking to elect a Deputy Speaker within their ranks in the upcoming Budget session. The ruling coalition – National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – is yet to acquiesce to the Opposition’s demand.
Prior to the election of the Speaker, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, “The entire Opposition has said that they will support the government on the Speaker’s post, but the convention is that the post of Deputy Speaker is given to the Opposition.”
Similarly, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien posted on X (formerly Twitter), “It is the government’s duty to run Parliament smoothly in Budget session. They must offer Deputy Speaker in LS to an (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance) INDIA candidate.” However, the NDA government has made no such assurances till date.
Traditionally, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected from different parties — except in the beginning when Congress was the sole major party. Post-Emergency (1975), when opposition to Congress increased, the post has mostly been held by an Opposition party, including the Congress at times.
Watch: Explained: What is the significance of the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker’s role?
Here’s a look at the post, duties, previous occupants and the NDA’s decision
How is the Deputy Speaker elected?
As per Article 93 of the Indian Constitution, the members of the Lok Sabha may elect the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker from among its members, ‘as soon as may be,’ with the article providing no specific time frame. The date of the election is fixed by the Speaker and members are informed via bulletin, according to the Rules and Procedures of Parliament. The vote is held via ballot paper.
Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker will hold the post till the dissolution of the Lower House. He/she can be d from the post by passage of a resolution supported by a majority of the members. In case he/she ceases to be a member of the House, the Deputy Speaker must vacate office. Members may elect another Deputy Speaker if and when the seat falls vacant. In terms of precedence, the Deputy Speaker is in the tenth place along with the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Ministers of State of Union and members of the Planning Commission.
Watch: How is the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker elected?
What are the Deputy Speaker’s duties and powers?
As per the Rules and Procedures of Parliament, the Deputy Speaker aids the Speaker in the functioning of the Lower House and if the Speaker post is vacant, chairs the proceedings of the House and performs the Speaker’s duties. If the Deputy Speaker is nominated to a legislative committee, he becomes its chairman by default.
Unlike the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker is allowed to participate in debates and cast his vote as an elected member of the House when the Speaker is presiding. However, even when the Deputy Speaker presides over proceedings, he can cast his vote in case of a tie in Parliament. As per convention, neither the Speaker nor his Deputy sponsor Bills or resolutions nor do they table questions. The Deputy Speaker’s salary is charged on the Consolidated Fund of India and is not subject to a vote.
During the absence of the Speaker, Article 95 empowers the Deputy Speaker to preside over the sittings, maintain order and ensure discipline in the House. While acting as the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker has the power to censure and suspend members and adjourn the House, if and when necessary.
Opposition MPs create a ruckus in the Well of Lok Sabha over the Adani-Hindenburg issue and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s democracy remark during the second phase of the Budget Session of the Parliament, on March 17 in New Delhi
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ANI
When the House is debating a motion to the Deputy Speaker, which can be moved only on a notice given fourteen days in advance, he cannot preside over the proceedings, as per Article 96. However, he is allowed to vote in the first instance of such a resolution, but not cast the deciding vote in case of a tie.
What is the Parliamentary tradition?
Though it has not been mandated by law, it is a parliamentary convention that a member of the Opposition assumes the Deputy Speaker’s post. This ensures a balance in the proceedings and offers the Opposition a fair chance to voice their opinions in the House.
In the fourth and fifth Lok Sabha (1969-1977), Mr. G.G. Swell of the Meghalaya-based All Party Hill Leaders Conference was elected as the Deputy Speaker, when the Indira Gandhi-led Congress was in power. The tradition continued post-Emergency, when the Janata Party swept into power. Congress’ Godey Murahari was elected to the post between 1977-79.
The tradition was first altered between 1980 and 1989. In the seventh Lok Sabha (1980-84), Congress, which swept back to power, elected Mr. G Lakshmanan belonging to its alliance party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as Deputy Speaker. However, in 1984, Congress joined hands with DMK’s rival – All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and was awarded a landslide victory. Mr. M. Thambidurai of the AIADMK was elected as Deputy Speaker.
However, subsequent governments reverted back to the original tradition. During the short-lived Janata governments, Congress’ Shivraj Patil was elected to the post. Between 1991 and 1997, when Congress and the United Front governments were in power, BJP’s S. Mallikarjunaiah and Suraj Bhan held the post. The NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee too upheld the tradition, retaining Congress’ P. M. Sayeed as the Deputy Speaker, while opting for ally Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) G.M.C. Balayogi as its Speaker.
What are the duties of a Speaker? | Explained
In the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government between 2004 and 2009, Congress chose to forego both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker post, electing ally CPM’s Somnath Chatterjee as Speaker and Opposing party Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Charanjit Singh Atwal as his Deputy. After being elected with bigger majority in 2009, Congress elected its own Meira Kumar as Speaker while electing rival BJP’s Kariya Munda as her Deputy.
Modi government and Deputy Speakers
The first Modi government reverted to the altered tradition, electing BJP’s Sumitra Mahajan as the Speaker and old ally AIADMK’s M. Thambidurai as her Deputy between 2014-2019. On being awarded a second term with a bigger mandate, the second Modi government opted to not elect a Deputy Speaker — a first for a newly elected Lok Sabha.
The Opposition, especially the Congress, termed the absence of a Deputy Speaker as ‘unconstitutional.’ The party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that today’s government was a far cry from the Nehru government which had unanimously elected a staunch Nehru critic and Akali Dal MP Hukam Singh as Deputy Speaker. The Modi government had maintained that there was no ‘immediate requirement’ for a Deputy Speaker and that there was no hindrance to the House proceedings caused by this.
LOP Rahul Gandhi with newly elected Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla as he accompanies him to the chair, at Parliament House in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accompany him to the chair on June 26, 2024 in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
In the current Lok Sabha, Mr. Om Birla was re-elected as Speaker in a contest with Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh. The eight-time MP from Kerala was denied the post of pro-tem speaker despite being the senior most MP. With the NDA not providing any assurances about the Deputy Speaker post to the Opposition, it opted to contest against Mr. Birla for the Speaker post.
The BJP has given no indication if it will offer the Deputy post to the Opposition or one of its allies. However, Congress, TMC and Samajwadi Party have held talks and are likely to field Faizabad MP and SP veteran Awadhesh Prasad for the post, presenting a united front. Voting for the post can only be held following a notification by the Speaker.
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