“Will run House impartially, safeguard interests of all members”
New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI): NDA nominee Om Birla was on Wednesday unanimously elected speaker of the Lok Sabha with several parties moving a motion in his support.
There was no other candidate in the fray and the motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to choose the Kota-Bundi MP as speaker was adopted by a voice vote. A total of 13 motions were moved in support of Birla.
Since the motion moved by Modi, also leader of the House, was adopted, the other motions became infructuous.
Birla was declared elected as speaker by pro-tem Speaker Virendra Kumar. Modi led the new speaker to the presiding officer’s chair.
Leaders from the BJP, the Congress, the DMK and the TMC went up the podium to greet the 56-year-old new speaker of the Lower House.
Though the Congress and the DMK had moved notices for supporting Birla as the speaker well past the 12 noon Tuesday deadline, the pro-tem Speaker allowed it to be included as a “special case”.
Birla, who won his first Lok Sabha election in 2014, was again elected this year from Rajasthan’s Kota-Bundi seat.
Addressing the House after being unanimously elected as the speaker, Birla assured the members that he will preside over the proceedings in accordance with rules and regulations and “safeguard the interests of the members irrespective of the strength of their parties in the House”.
Everyone should be heard and the government should respond to them, he added.
Nagaland CM congratulates Birla
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio took to social media to congratulate the new Lok Sabha speaker on Wednesday.
“My sincere congratulations to Om Birla on being elected as the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. Wishing you a successful tenure,” Rio wrote.
