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NEW DELHI — Om Birla, BJP MP from Kota-Bundi, was on Wednesday elected by voice vote as the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second consecutive time.
With this win, Birla became the first BJP leader to serve the coveted position for the second consecutive time.
Protem Speaker of the House Bhartruhari Mahtab announced the election of Om Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker.
PM Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition in Lower House Rahul Gandhi took him to the chair and congratulated him after Birla assumed the post.
Before the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with other NDA leaders, proposed to elect Om Birla for the post.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the Opposition alliance, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Arvind Sawant proposed K. Suresh's name for the Speaker's post.
The majority was, however, in the NDA's favour, with 297 MPs voting for Om Birla, while the Opposition got 232.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Birla was picked as the NDA's candidate for the Speaker's post. Union Minister Rajnath Singh and some senior leaders also tried to reach out to the leaders of opposition parties to reach a consensus on Birla's name.
Rahul Gandhi had said that the Opposition would support the NDA candidate, but at the last moment, it announced Congress MP K. Suresh as its candidate.
Notably, Om Birla made several significant decisions as Speaker during Modi 2.0's tenure.
Birla's political journey started in 1977 from student union elections which took him to the rank of Lok Sabha Speaker. Om Birla entered mainstream politics in 2003 by winning the assembly elections from the Kota seat.
Meanwhile, there is a festive atmosphere in Kota after Birla became Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time. While BJP workers are celebrating in Kota by bursting crackers and distributing sweets, Om Birla's family members are in Delhi.
Also read: LoP Rahul Gandhi offers full support to LS Speaker Birla; also sends a message