Parliamentary work experience should be considered while electing Lok Sabha speaker, says Sumitra Mahajan

Indore: Former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday said the presiding officer of the lower house should have experience in handling parliamentary work as well as ability to conduct proceedings smoothly by coordinating with both the ruling and opposition benches.

With the allocation of ministerial portfolios in the new BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government completed, the focus has now shifted to electing the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. After a pro-tem or temporary Speaker administers the oath to newly-elected MPs during a special session, the Speaker will chosen to be the presiding officer of the lower house of Parliament.

Talking to PTI, Mahajan said, "The Lok Sabha speaker's job is to smoothly run the house in coordination with the ruling party and the opposition. In my opinion, the Lok Sabha Speaker should be a little experienced. He/she should have experience in handling parliamentary work. If such a person is found for the post, it will be a very good thing". The former BJP Lok Sabha MP from Indore served as the Speaker from 2014 to 2019 during the term of the first Modi government.

As the BJP lacks a majority in the new Lok Sabha, it will need to get its allies, especially the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United), on board to decide on the Speaker's post.

Asked about the Lok Sabha poll results, she said the BJP's seats have dropped compared to 2019 due to "regional reasons", but the saffron party-led NDA government has a "strong" majority.

Mahajan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took the oath of office for a straight third term on June 9, has lived up to people's expectations in the last 10 years of his tenure.

In his third term too, people have faith in Modi and expect him to complete his pending work, she added.