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Power of Deputy Speaker: The NDA and the opposition alliance are fighting for the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the India Lok Sabha. The India Alliance is now fully prepared to take on the NDA. After fielding a candidate for the post of Speaker, the opposition has now decided to field a candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker as well.
On the second day (25 June) of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, the tussle between the government and the opposition over the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker has increased. Since then, the opposition has fielded its candidate for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker and Congress MP K. Suresh has filed his candidature. On the other hand, Om Birla has filed nomination papers for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker on behalf of the government. The opposition says that if he had got the post of Deputy Speaker, they would have supported him for the post of Speaker. The point to note here is that the post of Deputy Speaker was vacant in the 17th Lok Sabha, but why has the Deputy Speaker become so important for the opposition this time? So let us tell you how the Deputy Speaker is elected, what are his responsibilities and what powers he has.
The post of Deputy Speaker is mentioned in the Constitution
The post of Deputy Speaker is constitutional and the post of Deputy Speaker along with the Speaker of Lok Sabha is mentioned in Article 93 of the Constitution. Therefore, immediately after the formation of the new Lok Sabha, two members have to be elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker. And if any post becomes vacant before or during the term of the Lok Sabha, then the Lok Sabha will elect another member as Speaker or Deputy Speaker on the basis of seniority. According to the provision made in the Constitution, the President has the right to elect the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, while the Speaker of the Lok Sabha has been given the right to elect the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Why is the post of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha important?
The responsibility of running the Lok Sabha lies with the Speaker, but if the Speaker is absent for any reason, then the Deputy Speaker runs the House. Apart from this, the Deputy Speaker is also responsible for maintaining discipline in the House.
What are the powers of the Deputy Speaker?
According to Article 95 of the Constitution, if under any circumstances the post of Lok Sabha Speaker becomes vacant or the Speaker is absent from the House, then the entire responsibility lies with the Deputy Speaker. That is, the Deputy Speaker manages the House and during that time he has all the powers that the Speaker has. This includes maintaining discipline in the House, enforcing limits, suspending or punishing a member for misconduct. Apart from this, sometimes if a proposal in the Lok Sabha is stopped by 2 votes, then the Deputy Speaker can vote. Also, in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker has the right to cast the deciding vote.
How is the Deputy Speaker elected?
The Lok Sabha Speaker has the right to elect the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the date of the election is decided by the Speaker. Like the Speaker, a majority is also required for the election of the Deputy Speaker. Till now, there has been a tradition of giving the post of Deputy Speaker to the opposition in the Lok Sabha, but this time there was no consensus between the government and the opposition.
There was no deputy speaker from 2019 to 2024
The post of Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha was vacant from the year 2019 to 2024. But, the question is that if the Deputy Speaker was not there, then who runs the House in the absence of the Speaker. However, there is a rule about this as well and it is mentioned in Rule 9 of the Procedure and Business Management. Apart from the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, there is a panel of chairmen in the Lok Sabha. After the Lok Sabha begins, the Speaker nominates a panel of maximum 10 chairmen from other members. If sometimes both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are absent from the House, then a Speaker from this panel can preside over the House.