First session of 18th Lok Sabha from June 24, full Budget in July

New Delhi, June 12

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 to July 3, with the oath taking of newly elected MPs, Speaker’s election and the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament on the agenda.

The first full Budget of the BJP-led NDA government will be presented later in July, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on track to become India’s first FM to make seven back-to-back Budget presentations — six full and one interim (presented in February ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha session).

In doing so, Sitharaman will surpass predecessor Morarji Desai’s record of presenting six Budgets in a row. The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on June 24 and conclude on July 3.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju revealed the session schedule on Wednesday. “First session of the 18th Lok Sabha is being summoned from June 24 to July 3 for oath and affirmation of newly elected members, election of Speaker, President’s address and discussion thereon. The 264th session of Rajya Sabha will also commence on June 27 and conclude on July 3,” Rijiju said.

The first two days will see new MPs taking oaths. The third sitting will see election to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, with the Opposition also mulling a contest.

In the past four Lok Sabhas — 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 — the Speaker was either the ruling party’s or the ruling bloc’s nominee and was elected unopposed — Somnath Chatterjee, Meira Kumar, Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla, respectively.

As per Article 94 of the Constitution, the office of Lok Sabha Speaker falls vacant immediately before the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha and duties of the Speaker are performed by a member of the House appointed for the purpose by the President as Pro tem Speaker.

Pro tem Speaker presides over oath taking by new MPs and is normally the senior-most MP of the House. In the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress’ K Suresh is the senior-most MP.

After the Speaker’s election, President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27 to delineate the new government’s vision and approach. PM Narendra Modi will later introduce his Council of Ministers to Parliament and also reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.

Leader of Oppn after 10 years

• For the first time after 10 years, the Lok Sabha will see a recognised Leader of Opposition. The Congress has on its own reached 99 MPs in the Lok Sabha for the first time in a decade. It had 44 MPs in the 16th Lok Sabha and 52 in the 17th
• Both the Lok Sabhas had no recognised Leader of Opposition, a post that requires a party to win 10% of the 543 seats