Who Will Get Lok Sabha Speaker Post? Big Question After Modi 3.0 Signs In

Sub: Polity

Sec: Parliament

Context: Multiple reports have claimed that kingmakers TDP and JDU are looking at the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post

How Speaker Is Elected?

According to the Constitution, the Speaker’s post falls vacant just before the new Lok Sabha meets for the first time.
A pro-tem Speaker appointed by the President administers the oath of office to the new MPs.
Subsequently, a Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority.
While there is no specific criteria to be elected as a Lok Sabha Speaker, an understanding of the Constitution and parliamentary rules is an advantage. In the last two Lok Sabhas, in which the BJP enjoyed a majority, Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla were the Speakers.

About Speaker:

The speaker of Lok Sabha is the chair person or presiding officer.
The members of Lok Sabha elect speaker and deputy speaker from among its members after elections or when vacancy exists.
To maintain independence of the office of speaker his salary on the consolidated Fund of India and the same is not subject to vote of Parliament.
He is sixth in the Order of Precedence of Government of India.
The speaker decides the agenda of discussions and has a casting vote (vote not in first place, but, only if tie exist).
The Committees of the House function under the overall direction of the Speaker. He nominates the chairpersons of the committee.
Committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the General Purposes Committee and the Rules Committee work directly under her Chairmanship
The speaker has the power to adjourn or suspend the house/meetings if the quorum is not met. The Speaker ensures the discipline and decorum of the house. If the speaker finds the behaviour and a Member of Parliament is not good, he/she can punish the unruly members by suspending.
The Speaker of Lok Sabha does not leave the office just after dissolution of the assembly. He continues to be in the office till the newly formed assembly takes its first meeting and elects the new Speaker.
The final power to decide whether a particular bill is a Money Bill or not is vested in the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The Speaker of Lok Sabha presides over the joint sitting of both the Houses.

Removal from office:

If no more a member of house; resigns by writing to deputy speaker; he is of unsound mind declared so by the court of law; if he is declared undischarged insolvent; if he is no longer the citizen of India;
He is removed from the post of Speaker by passing a resolution by majority of the members of Lok Sabha. This is to note that during resolution for removal of Speaker, the Speaker is not in position to cast his vote even if there is tie.