BJP looking to keep Lok Sabha Speaker post; wants to offer Deputy position to allies: Report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to keep the Speaker's position in the 18th Lok Sabha after winning 240 seats in the recent general election. The party is considering offering the Deputy Speaker's post to allies within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), News 18 quoted sources as saying.

Union Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh has been assigned the responsibility of negotiating with NDA allies, such as the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), regarding the crucial parliamentary role that ensures smooth proceedings.

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to elect its new Speaker on June 26, with notices for motions supporting candidates due by noon the previous day, per the Lok Sabha secretariat. Amid speculation, sources indicate that the INDIA bloc may propose a candidate for Speaker if the Deputy Speaker position isn't allocated to their group.

Addressing reports of demands from NDA partners like TDP and JD(U) for the Speaker's post, a senior party leader clarified to news agency IANS that internal discussions would precede consultations with allies to ensure consensus.

Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu's TDP has emphasized the need for NDA partners to agree on a consensus candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker. In contrast, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has pledged its support to the BJP's choice. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi affirmed that both parties, TDP and JD(U), being part of the NDA, will endorse the BJP's nominee for the Speaker's post.

“The Speaker is always of the ruling party because its number is also the highest (among alliance parties),” Tyagi said. Meanwhile, TDP national spokesperson Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy had hinted that the candidate must be jointly decided by NDA partners. “The NDA partners will sit together and decide who our candidate for the Speaker is going to be. Once a consensus is reached, we will field that candidate and all partners, including the TDP, will support the candidate,” Kommareddy said.