(Image source from: x.com/LokSabhaSectt)

After days of uncertainty about the leadership position in the Lok Sabha, the ruling alliance has decided to re-nominate Om Birla as their candidate. Birla, a member of the BJP, previously served as the Speaker in the last Lok Sabha. According to sources, he will file his nomination papers at 11:30 AM today. In a departure from the past, the opposition INDIA bloc has fielded K Suresh to challenge Birla, marking the first time elections will be held for this critical role. Typically, the Lok Sabha Speaker is elected through a simple majority vote, and the position has traditionally been filled by consensus. However, the BJP's comfortable majorities in the 2014 and 2019 elections allowed them to easily nominate Sumitra Mahajan and then Om Birla to the role. This time, the situation is different, as the BJP, despite being the single-largest party with 240 seats, falls short of an outright majority, needing the support of allies like Nitish Kumar's JDU and Chandrababu Naidu's TDP to maintain power. The opposition has indicated that they would support the NDA's choice of Speaker in exchange for the deputy speaker's position.

The leader of the opposition party has emphasized the need to follow established parliamentary traditions, even as they seek consensus. Earlier today, the Lok Sabha Speaker, who has deep ties to the ruling party, met with the Prime Minister ahead of the second day of the legislative session. Hailing from Rajasthan, the Speaker has carved out a distinguished political career, serving multiple terms in the state assembly before being unanimously elected to the prestigious position in 2019. While his selection was unexpected, he has earned praise for his ability to bring various factions together. In contrast, the opposition candidate in a nearby constituency secured a narrow victory, triumphing over a communist-backed challenger in a region dominated by the left-wing coalition. The head of the Kerala Congress party in 2021, Mr Suresh, currently holds a special invitation to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's top decision-making group. Additionally, he serves as the working president of the Congress's Kerala branch and previously served as the secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).