Rajasthan MP Om Birla was on Wednesday chosen as speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The motion to choose Birla as the speaker was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also Leader of the House, and passed by a voice vote
“That Shri Om Birla, a member of the is House, be chosen as the Speaker of the this House,” read the motion
The motion was seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
A similar motion was moved by Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah, which was supported by Union minister Nitin Gadkari
The Congress and the DMK had moved notices for a similar motion. But the notices were issued after 12 noon Tuesday, the deadline
As a special case, pro-tem Speaker Virendra Kumar allowed the motions to be moved
Birla, who won his first Lok Sabha election in 2014, was again elected this year from Rajasthan’s Kota-Bundi seat.
Who is Om Birla?
The new Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla, a two-time BJP MP from Rajasthan, is a relative newcomer for the post traditionally held by seniors.
Starting his political journey as a student leader, Birla was also elected to the Rajasthan Assembly for three consecutive terms in 2003, 2008 and 2013.
He won his first Lok Sabha election in 2014 and was again elected this year from Rajasthan’s Kota-Bundi seat. Birla defeated Congress’s Ramnarayan Meena with a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes in the recently-concluded general election.
A conscientious parliamentarian, Birla registered an 86-per cent average attendance, asked 671 questions, participated in 163 debates and introduced six private members’ bills in the 16th Lok Sabha.
From 1991 to 2003, he was a key leader in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) as a state-level president first and then, as a vice-president at the national level.
Birla, who holds a Masters degree in commerce, was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy in Parliament, the Committee on Petitions and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
He succeeds eight-time MP Sumitra Mahajan as the Lok Sabha speaker, a post traditionally held by senior MPs.
However, this is not the first time that a relative newcomer has occupied the position. In 1996, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader G M C Balayogi, also a two-time MP then, was elected as the speaker in the Lower House of Parliament.
After his death in a helicopter crash in 2002, Shiv Sena leader and first-time MP Manohar Joshi was appointed to the position.
