Lok Sabha Speaker Election: Ahead of the election for the Lok Sabha Speaker, the INDIA bloc candidate for the post, K Suresh, said that the opposition is still ready to withdraw its candidature. The Congress MP said that according to him, the NDA is not going to make any offers before the election because they sought support for the Speaker post and were willing to hold discussions for the deputy Speaker post later.
"Of course, we are ready to withdraw. But I don't think they (NDA) are giving any offers before the election of the Speaker because they demanded support for the Speaker and discuss the post of Deputy Speaker later. That is not a satisfactory reply from the NDA leadership," K Suresh said.
The Lok Sabha is all set for a historic election for the Speaker as BJP's Kota MP, Om Birla, and Congress veteran from Mavelikkara constituency in Kerala, Kodikunnil Suresh, battle it out on Tuesday, June 26.
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Earlier, West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said that her party will extend its support to INDIA bloc candidate K Suresh.
The election comes after negotiations between the government and the Opposition to elect a speaker failed. Om Birla, who was the speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, has again been fielded by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance as a candidate. His nomination seems to be the BJP's attempt to deliver a message of preservation of "continuity".
The INDIA coalition of Opposition parties has nominated Suresh, who has been elected an MP for the 8th time, in Kodikunnil. This will be the third time in the history of India that the election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will be held.