Why the TDP and JD(U) are negotiating hard for the Speaker’s position in the NDA government

After hectic negotiations and discussions, the Modi Cabinet has taken its oath in a historic and resplendent ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The new administration is reflective of the BJP’s balancing act with its NDA allies, namely the Janata Dal-United (JDU), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

But as the movie dialogue says: ‘picture abhi baaki hai’. The BJP’s allies may have got representation in the Modi government, but the JD(U) and the TDP are still engaged in consultations over the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post.

Why are the two parties so keen on the position of the Speaker? Why is this post considered important? We take a deep dive into the matter and get you all the answers.

Speaker’s choice

The Speaker is the constitutional and ceremonial head of the Lok Sabha. According to one report, the institutions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in India in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms).

The Speaker is generally elected in the first meeting of members of the Lok Sabha. Before his/her selection, a pro-tem Speaker appointed by the President administers the oath of office to the new MPs. It is after the MPs are sworn in that a Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority. Interestingly, there is no specific criteria that is required to be met for the position of Speaker.

In the last two Lok Sabhas, Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla were elected Speakers.

In the 17th Lok Sabha, BJP’s Om Birla served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. File image/PTI

Importance of the Speaker

As head of the Lok Sabha, the Speaker is the head of the Lower House of Parliament. It is the Speaker’s duty to maintain decorum in the House and is also empowered to adjourn the proceedings of the House or suspend it in case order can’t be maintained.

What makes the Speaker even more important is that he/she is considered the final interpreter of the provisions of the Constitution of India, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha.

The Speaker also decides on the disqualification of a member and is the final authority on matters of defection.

It is because of these responsibilities that even though the Speaker comes from a specific party, he/she is expected to function in a non-partisan manner. Interestingly, Congress veteran N Sanjiva Reddy had resigned from the Congress after he was elected Speaker of the fourth Lok Sabha.

Somnath Chatterjee was even expelled by the Communist Party of India-Marxist {CPI(M)} over the non-partisan stance he had taken during the 2008 no-confidence motion against the United Progressive Alliance.

The Speaker’s role becomes even more significant when dealing with the anti-defection law. In cases when an MP has defected to another party, it is for the Speaker to decide on disqualification petitions, with the timing and outcome of the decision resting solely with them.

In 2023, Rahul Narwekar , the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, was accused of engaging in partisan politics when dealing with the issue of the Eknath Khadse-led Shiv Sena faction and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

TDP, JD(U) vying for Speaker

Ever since 4 June, when the Lok Sabha results were declared, and the TDP and JD(U) emerged as ‘kingmakers’ within the NDA, Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar have been gunning for the Speaker’s position.

The TDP has been gunning for this position, citing the example of TDP’s GMC Balayogi who was Speaker when former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee headed BJP-led coalition in the 1990s.

Poll experts cite that the reason why Naidu is pushing for the position in the Lok Sabha is to shield him and his party from any possible split in the future. As NDTV reports, Naidu wants the Speaker’s position as an ‘insurance’ against the BJP.

Narendra Modi with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu during the NDA parliamentary party meeting at Samvidhan Sadan, in New Delhi. According to experts, TDP wants the Speaker’s position as an ‘insurance’ against the BJP. File image/PTI

In fact, in the past couple of years, there have been cases of defection within the ruling parties at the state level, causing governments to topple. They believe having the Speaker’s position will save them from a possible mutiny in the future.

Earlier it was reported that the TDP was pushing for Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to be the candidate for the Speaker’s position. However, Naidu was sworn into the Cabinet on Sunday. Now, reports have emerged that the TDP is pushing for former Lok Sabha Speaker Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi’s son and first-time MP GM Harish Madhur.

A New Indian Express report states that by putting forth Madhur’s name, the TDP wants to earn the credit of once again making a Dalit the Speaker of the House. Incidentally, GMC Balayogi was the first Dalit Speaker of the Lok Sabha during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as PM.

However, the BJP is reportedly in no mood to relent and wants its own member as Speaker. In fact, a Times of India report states that Andhra Pradesh BJP president and Rajahmundry MP Daggubati Purandeswari is among the probables for the post of Speaker in the 18th Lok Sabha.

Sources told Times of India that the former Union minister and daughter of TDP founder NT Rama Rao may been excluded from Prime Minister Modi’s new Cabinet, only so that she could be appointed as Lok Sabha Speaker.

Opposition Speaks

While the negotiations over the Speaker’s position are still on, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that a BJP Speaker in the new Lok Sabha would be “dangerous for parliamentary traditions”. The post, according to AAP’s Sanjay Singh, should be held by the TDP, the NDA’s second biggest member with 16 MPs.

He told reporters earlier, “Never in the Parliamentary history of the country were more than 150 MPs suspended, but the BJP did it… So, if the Speaker is from BJP, bills will be passed in arbitrary manner by violating the Constitution, parties like TDP, JD(U) and other small parties will be broken and forced to join (the BJP). BJP has a history of that.”

With inputs from agencies