Bhartruhari Mahtab, the key BJP leader from Odisha who is said to be in the race for the post of Speaker, has been appointed Speaker Pro Tem by President Droupadi Murmu.
The position of Speaker Pro Tem – temporary – traditionally falls to the most senior member of parliament, who then swears in all MPs and handles other responsibilities until a Speaker is appointed.
The 18th parliament will meet on Monday.
The seven-time MP from Cuttack had defected to the BJP before the elections after years with Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal, expressing his displeasure over the functioning of the party.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju posted on X:
The Congress, which was expecting its MP K Suresh to be appointed to the post, was miffed. Party leader Manickam Tagore called it “the Parliamentary Affairs Minister’s first mistake”.
Mahtab’s appointment to the post deepens the mystery over the post of Speaker, for which leaders from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were apparently being considered. The BJP has scored resounding victories in the assembly elections in both states and needs to reward its state leaders.
The names of Mahtab and D Purandeshwari, chief of the BJP’s Andhra Pradesh unit, were doing the rounds for the spokesperson’s post, which was also eyed by allies Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.
The BJP, party members have confided, is not willing to hand over the charge to allies and the matter has not been resolved despite long discussions for two consecutive days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take a call on the issue before Parliament meets.
A showdown with the opposition over the vice president position is likely. Traditionally, the deputy is appointed by the opposition. But should the government refuse to do so, opposition leaders have privately talked about pushing for an election for the president, which would be a first.
The President, who, among other things, must arbitrate and mediate in the House between the Government and the Opposition, is always appointed by consensus.
