On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Om Birla was re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker following a voice vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved the motion proposing Birla’s name for the post, which was seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
A separate motion was proposed by Opposition leaders to select Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh as the Speaker. However, the motion was put to a voice vote, and Om was declared the winner as the Opposition did not request a division of votes.
Birla was escorted to the Speaker’s chair by Prime Minister Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab officially declared Birla as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha after the voice vote.