INDIA bloc holds meeting at Kharge's residence ahead of Speaker's election

New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): The opposition INDIA bloc held a meeting of its floor leaders at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Tuesday, the second day of the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha, to strategize on the election of the Speaker.
Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, president of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Hanuman Beniwal and other leaders of the INDIA bloc were present in the meeting.
The meeting comes ahead of the election to the post of Speaker for which both the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc have fielded their respective candidates.
Efforts by the BJP's top leadership to reach a consensus on the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha came to naught when the INDIA bloc decided to nominate 8-time MP K Suresh for the post.
His nomination followed the filing of nomination by BJP's Kota MP Om Birla for the same position. Birla previously served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
The election for the post of Speaker has taken place at least twice in India's parliamentary history. The first instance was in 1952 when Congress' GV Malvankar contested against CPI's candidate Shankar Shantaram More. The second instance was in 1976 when Congress' BR Bhagat contested against Jagannathrao Joshi from Jan Sangh and was supported by Congress O.
Rahul Gandhi said that his party had informed Rajnath Singh that the Opposition is prepared to support NDA's Speaker candidate, on the condition that the Deputy Speaker position is given to the opposition.
A meeting was also held at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in Delhi earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee said on Tuesday that his party was not consulted on fielding Kodikunnil Suresh of the Congress as the INDIA bloc's joint nominee for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker and termed it a "unilateral decision."
Speaking to ANI on K Suresh's candidature for Lok Sabha Speaker, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said, "We were not contacted about this, there was no discussion. Unfortunately, this is a unilateral decision."
Earlier, Congress leaders of Maharashtra held a meeting with party Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi and general secretary KC Venugopal at the national capital.
The Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected on Wednesday. On June 27, President Murmu is scheduled to address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.INDIA bloc candidate K Suresh is currently the longest-serving Lok Sabha MP, as he has remained MP for 29 years.
Suresh was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, and thereafter, he won consecutively in the 1991, 1996, and 1999 general elections to the Lok Sabha from the Adoor constituency for four straight terms.
Suresh, who won his eighth Lok Sabha election from Mavelikkara (Kerala) in the 2024 general elections, has represented the seat four times in the past.
He is the working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and was the chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the 17th Lok Sabha. (ANI)