Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 | Last Update : 07:34 PM IST
BJP may pick deputy speaker from BJD; YSR Congress not keen
Over the past few decades, the constitutional post has conventionally gone to a party which is not a member of the ruling dispensation.
New Delhi: After the election of Om Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker, the BJP is working on its strategy for the deputy speaker’s election. Sources said that the BJP is looking to offer the post to either a friendly Opposition party like the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) or break from convention and keep the post itself.
Over the past few decades, the constitutional post has conventionally gone to a party which is not a member of the ruling dispensation.
The BJP’s internal discussions on the post come at a time when the YSR Congress Party is seemingly unwilling to accept the post of deputy speaker as it does not want to be seen aligned with the BJP-led ruling NDA until the Narendra Modi government fulfils its demand of granting special status to Andhra Pradesh.
The YSR Congress, which is the fourth largest party with 22 members in the 17th Lok Sabha, wants to maintain equidistance from both the ruling and the Opposition sides.
Special status for Andhra Pradesh was the core agenda of YSR Congress supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy, who swept the state elections and became the second chief minister after bifurcation.
There is also speculation that the deputy speaker’s post can be offered to NDA ally JD(U). Interestingly, the Shiv Sena is also seemingly miffed over reports that the BJP is keen on handing over the deputy speaker’s post to some other party and is keen that it should be given the post. The party, which is the second biggest constituent of the NDA after the BJP, has only one representative in the Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet.
It is learnt that the number game in Rajya Sabha could also affect the selection of the candidate for the deputy speaker’s post. “As the NDA is still short of the majority mark in the Upper House, the post of the deputy speaker could be used as a tool for political manoeuvre and could also help enable the Modi government to shore up its numbers,” sources added.
The NDA alliance has often faced troubles in Rajya Sabha as several of its crucial legislations have been stuck due to want of adequate numbers.
