President appoints Bhartruhari Mahtab as pro-tem speaker of Lok Sabha

Bhartruhari Mahtab

The Indian President Droupadi Murmu on June 20 appointed Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The protem speaker has been appointed under Article 95(1) of the Constitution to perform the duties of Speaker till election of the Speaker, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said in a post on X.

"President is also pleased to appoint Shri Suresh Kodikunnil, Shri Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Members of Lok Sabha under Article 99 of the Constitution to assist Speaker Protem in Oath/Affirmation to newly elected Members of 18th Lok Sabha till election of the Speaker," Rijiju added in his post.

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The first session of the newly constituted Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 to July 3.

A significant aspect of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be the election of the Speaker. Despite lacking a majority, the BJP aims to retain this position. A protem speaker, typically the senior-most Lok Sabha member, is appointed to administer the oath to the newly elected MPs over the first two days. The Speaker's election is proposed for June 26.

BJP's Kota MP Om Birla was the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha.