Lok Sabha session to begin from June 24
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will take place on June 24 with the oath-taking by newly elected members.
The election of the Lok Sabha Speaker will be held on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of both the Houses on June 27.
The row over the appointment of BJP leader and seven-term member Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker is likely to cast a shadow over the session. The move has drawn flak from the Opposition, which alleged that the claim of Congress member K. Suresh to the post was ignored by the government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Mr. Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as a Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post, while Mr. Suresh lost elections in 1998 and 2004 which makes his current term as the fourth straight one in the lower house. Earlier, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, 1991, 1996 and 1999.
On Monday, President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mr. Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Mr. Mahtab will then reach Parliament House and call the Lok Sabha to order at 11 am.
The proceedings will begin with members observing a moment of silence on the occasion of the first sitting of the 18th Lok Sabha. This will be followed by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh placing on the table of the House the list of the members elected to the lower house.
Mr. Mahtab will then call upon prime minister Narendra Modi to take oath as member of the House.
The pro tem Speaker will then administer an oath to the panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist him in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker on June 26.
The President has appointed Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T.R. Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC) to assist Mr. Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha.
After the panel of chairpersons, the pro tem Speaker will administer the oath as Lok Sabha members to the Council of Ministers. The members from States, in alphabetical order, will take oath over the next two days.
The election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place on Wednesday and the PM will introduce his Council of Ministers to the House soon after.
After the president’s address before a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27, the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address will begin on June 28. PM Modi is expected to respond to the debate on July 2 or 3.
After that, both the Houses will go into a brief recess and re-assemble on July 22 for the presentation of the Union Budget.
