Congress pushes for Deputy Speaker’s post during all-party meeting

New Delhi, July 21

Harking back to the tradition it started in 1969, the Congress reiterated its demand for allocating the Deputy Speaker’s post to the Opposition during the all-party meeting on Sunday.

Till 1969, the Congress as the ruling party had held both the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. However, that year it offered the Deputy Speaker’s post to All-Party Hill Leaders Conference’s Gilbert Swell, an MP from Shillong.

The tradition of offering the post to the opposition nominee continued until 2019. The post has been lying vacant ever since, as the 17th Lok Sabha, which convened in 2019 and ended in 2024, did not have a Deputy Speaker. This was the first instance of its kind since Independence.

In the 16th Lok Sabha, when the Narendra Modi-led NDA government first came to power, it had given the post to AIADMK’s M Thambidurai.

With the 18th Lok Sabha having just been convened, the Congress-led Opposition with its swelled ranks, is now trying to put pressure on the weakened NDA government, to give the post to the party, though the government has not yet shown any signs of accepting its request.

Article 93 of the Constitution states the Lok Sabha shall choose two of its members as Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The President fixes the date of election of the Speaker. The election to Deputy Speaker’s post is held on a date decided upon by the Speaker.

As per Article 95 of the Constitution, the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker when that office is vacant or when the latter is away. If the office of Deputy Speaker is vacant, the duties are performed by a Lok Sabha MP whom the President appoints.

Article 94 says if the Speaker intends to resign, he or she needs to address the resignation letter to the Deputy Speaker.