Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha in India: With the I.N.D.I.A bloc parties' numbers increasing in the 18th Lok Sabha, the opposition leaders hope that a deputy speaker will be elected soon, a post that had been vacant for the last five years. The 17th Lok Sabha, which was dissolved on June 5 (Wednesday) did not have a deputy speaker for its full term. All eyes are set on the lower house which is expected to have a deputy speaker, a post which usually goes to the opposition ranks.
While the I.N.D.I.A bloc has not yet held any coordination meeting on its strategy for the Parliament, an opposition leader said they will mount pressure that the deputy speaker's post is not left vacant this time.
Now, all eyes are on the post of Deputy Speaker, which the Opposition has been vying for since the beginning. The Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's post has been lying vacant since 2019.
Why Opposition wants Deputy Speaker post?
After the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rejected the Opposition's demand for the Deputy Speaker's post in exchange for their support of the NDA's Speaker candidate, the NDA's nominee, Om Birla, was elected as the Speaker by a voice vote on Wednesday (June 26).
Most opposition leaders cited a parliamentary tradition to claim the Deputy Speaker's post.
"We have said to Rajnath Singh that we will support their Speaker (candidate) but the convention is that the post of Deputy Speaker to be given to opposition," said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on June 25.
Know more about role, power and responsibilities of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
- In absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker performs all the duties of the Speaker as the Speaker. As per a document shared by the government, the House sits for nearly seven months in a year and each sitting lasts for about seven hours at present. This makes it difficult for the Speaker to be present in the House throughout such long sittings.
- "Every now and then, when he has to attend to his other duties, he has to vacate the Chair, and in his absence it is usually the Deputy Speaker who presides over the deliberations of the House. Further, the Deputy Speaker is required to perform the duties of the Office of the Speaker, whenever that Office is vacant," the document reads.
- When the Speaker’s office is unoccupied, the Deputy Speaker takes responsibility. The Deputy Speaker often fills in for the Speaker when they cannot attend a House meeting.
- The Deputy Speaker has the same powers as the Speaker when presiding over a sitting of the House. He or she is not subordinate to the Speaker, but holds an independent position. He/she is answerable to the House alone.
- If the Deputy Speaker is a member of a Parliamentary Committee, he or she is appointed as the Chairman of that Committee, explains the 2012 booklet in the Indian Parliament.
- If the Speaker is unavailable, the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha holds power over a joint session of both Houses of the Parliament.
- A Deputy Speaker, unlike the Speaker, can speak in the House, take part in its deliberations and vote as a member on any question before the House. He, however, can do so only when the Speaker is presiding. "When he is himself in the Chair, the Deputy Speaker cannot vote except in the event of equality of votes," the document said.
- The Deputy Speaker occupies the 10th place in the order of precedence along with the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Ministers of State of Union and members of the Planning Commission.
- Like the Speaker, they also get to cast the deciding vote if there is a tie during voting within Parliament or between both houses.
- The Deputy Speaker enjoys only one special privilege compared with his fellow Speakers- anytime The Deputy Speaker is nominated to a legislative committee, they instantly become its chairman.
KC Venugopal on demand of Deputy Speaker post
"We are still waiting, if they are ready to give us the Deputy Speaker post, we are ready to elect the NDA's candidate unanimously. PM Modi talked about the consensus for the smooth functioning of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We are ready to support the Speaker suggested by the government's side, provided they also honour the opposition. We have witnessed for the last few years that the Speakers will be from the government's side and the Deputy Speaker from the Opposition," Venugopal said.
"When the UPA was in power, we gave the Deputy Speaker to the NDA for 10 years. The convention is so in the Lok Sabha that the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is given to the Opposition," Venugopal added.
Asaduddin Owaisi on Deputy Speaker post
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi hoped that the NDA government would reduce the burden of newly-elected Speaker Om Birla by having a Deputy Speaker.
BJP's responds to Opposition's demand for Deputy Speaker post
Union Minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was ready to have a discussion about the Deputy Speaker's post when the time to elect a person for the post arrived, but it was not right to put a precondition.
Here is the list of Deputy Speakers
NOTE: PREVIOUSLY ELECTED DEPUTY SPEAKERS IN INDIA |
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What Indian Constitution say?
As per Article 93 of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha shall, as soon as may be, choose two members to be speaker and deputy speaker so often as the offices become vacant. However, it does not provide a specific time frame.
"The office of the deputy speaker is a constitutional requirement. However, a troubling trend is that legislatures, both national and state, have not filled the office of the deputy speaker. For example, between 2019 and 2024, there was no deputy speaker in the Parliament. The last Rajasthan Assembly also did not have a deputy speaker for its full five-year term," Chakshu Roy, who heads the legislative and civic engagement initiatives at PRS Legislative Research, told media.
"Currently, the Jharkhand legislature, whose term is scheduled to end later this year, does not have a deputy speaker," he said.
"Other than the constitutional requirement, the office of the deputy speaker by convention in the past on multiple occasions has gone to opposition parties. This convention not only strengthens democratic norms but also ensures continuity of the office of speaker, which can never remain vacant," he said.
How is Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha elected?
The procedure for choosing the Deputy Speaker is the same as the Speaker, except that the Speaker fixes the date for the election of the Deputy Speaker. The election of Deputy Speaker is governed by provisions of Article 93.
