NDA likely to keep Deputy Speaker post, announcement soon: Reports
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to keep the post of the Deputy Speaker, which was left vacant in the second term of the Narendra Modi government, media reports said.
In a break from tradition, the post is likely to go to the NDA and not the Opposition, NDTV quoting sources have indicated. An announcement is likely soon.
According to reports, the government is likely to take a hard line after the "breakdown of trust" with the Opposition during the dialogue over the Speaker post on Wednesday.
However, there is also the question of keeping allies like Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar happy. Both had their eyes on the Speaker post as insurance for any split in their parties. However the BJP had refused to relent and fielded Om Birla for the Speaker's election, which he won.
There is speculation that the post of Deputy Speaker might go to Naidu's Telugu Desam Party.
TDP's GMC Balayogi was the Speaker when the NDA under Atal Bihar Vajpayee was in power and there is expectation that the post can now go to his son Harish Balayogi.
The Opposition, failing to get the spot of the Pro Tem Speaker had been eyeing for the Deputy Speaker post, which traditionally goes to it. But the government had brushed off its demands and its claim that they had forced a last-minute contest for the Speaker post.
The loss of opposition was quite obvious given the government's numerical strength. But the Opposition insisted that it was out to send a message.
The Lok Sabha Speaker is the final arbiter of the voice of the people, the Congress asserted. Its new Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, said that he was "confident" that the Speaker would "allow us to speak, to represent the voice of the people".
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