AIADMK leader M Thambidurai is all set to be unanimously elected as deputy speaker of Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
In keeping with parliamentary conventions, members cutting across party lines have proposed the five-term Lok Sabha member’s name to the post. With the Opposition splintered, the NDA government chose to allocate the key post to a political party other than the Congress. The Congress will chair key Parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee, and panels on Defence and Finance.
AIADMK members met Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday morning to give final touches to the formalities related to the nomination papers. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Santosh Gangwar was tasked with obtaining signatures of leaders of different parties as proposers and seconders.
A total of 12 sets of nomination were filed on behalf of Thambidurai by political parties including the BJP, Shiv Sena, TDP, Lok Janshakti Party, AIADMK, Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, BJD, TRS and the YSRCP.
On behalf of the BJP, two sets of nominations were filed with Rajnath Singh and M.M Joshi as proposers and Sushma Swaraj and L K Advani as seconders.
This will be Thambidurai's second stint as Deputy Speaker of the Lower House. He was elected to the post for the first time in 1985.
Published 12 August 2014, 19:30 IST