LS Speaker's election on Jun 26; candidates can be proposed till Jun 25 noon
New Delhi, Jun 12: The Lok Sabha will elect its new Speaker on June 26 for which notices for motions supporting candidates can be submitted by members by 12 noon a day prior, the Lok Sabha secretariat said on Thursday.
The 18th Lok Sabha will meet for the first time on June 24 and the session will conclude on July 3.
At any time before 12 noon on the day preceding the date fixed for the election, any member can give notice in writing to the secretary general of a motion supporting another member for the office of the speaker, a Lok Sabha bulletin noted.
"In the present case, notices of motions for the election of the Speaker can be given before 12 noon on Tuesday, June 25," it explained.
While first two days will be devoted for oath taking of newly-elected members, June 26 has been fixed for the election of the speaker.
On June 27, President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The notice for the motion has to be seconded by a third member. Also, it has to be accompanied by a statement by the candidate contesting the poll that he or she is willing to serve as Speaker if elected.
A member cannot propose one's own name, or second a motion, the secretariat pointed out, citing rules.
A member in whose name a motion stands on the list of business will, unless makes a statement conveying unwillingness to move it, will move the motion when called upon to do so, it said.
The motions which have been moved and duly seconded will be put one by one in the order in which they have been moved, and decided, if necessary, by a division.
If any motion is carried (adopted), the person presiding the proceedings (a pro-tem speaker) will declare that the member proposed in the motion which has been carried has been chosen as the Speaker of the House.
The other motions will become infructuous.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
