New Delhi: National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and MP from Kota, Om Birla has been elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday. It is the second term for Om Birla as Speaker. Earlier he was the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. The motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was adopted by the House through a voice vote. The house echoed with 'Ayes' and 'Noes' and the pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared Om Birla as the Speaker of the lower house. The opposition which had filed K Suresh as the Speaker candidate of the INDIA bloc did not press fro a division vote. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also extended wishes to Birla and accompanied him to the chair along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and PM Modi. After the INDIA bloc fielded K Suresh as its candidate, the appointment of Speaker became interesting as the election was held for the first time in about five decades. (with Agency inputs)
