Om Birla Elected As Lok Sabha Speaker For Second Term

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Om Birla has been elected as the Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha. Om Birla was declared the Speaker after a voice vote. The motion to elect three-time MP Om Birla to the chair was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Notably, following the win, PM Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted Om Birla to the Speaker’s chair.

The Lok Sabha witnessed a rare contest for the Speaker post as the Opposition decided to field K Suresh, the eight-time MP from Mavelikkara in Kerala. The motion to appoint K Suresh as the Speaker was moved by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant. Following the voice vote, pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house. 

Om Birla currently serves as an MP from Rajasthan's Kota-Bundi constituency. He was reelected for the second consecutive term in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Om Birla also served as a legislator in the Rajasthan Assembly for three terms. In 2019, Om Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. Notably, he was the first MP from Rajasthan to hold the position.