Virendra Kumar takes oath as pro-tem speaker

Senior BJP leader Virendra Kumar was on Monday administered the oath of office as pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind.

In a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, 65-year-old Kumar took oath as pro-tem speaker in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and other dignitaries.

As the pro-tem Speaker, Kumar will administer oath to each of the 541 members of the 17th Lok Sabha and also preside over the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker.

A three-member panel comprising Kodukunnil Suresh (Congress), Brijbhushan Sharan Singh (BJP) and Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) will assist Kumar in the discharge of his duties as pro-tem Speaker.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first to take oath as member in the new Lok Sabha followed by his council of ministers at the swearing-in ceremony that will be spread over two days.

After the council of ministers, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will take oath as member of the Lok Sabha. A member can participate in the business of the House only after taking oath or making his affirmation.

Other members of the Lok Sabha will be invited to take the oath in the alphabetical order of the states. Within a state, too, the MPs would be called in an alphabetical order of their names to avoid any confusion.

In a first, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has provided online formats of the oath or affirmation in all 22 languages in which the members can take the oath.

Members are expected to read from the official draft of the oath and not to add any word or change any sentence. This is been done as a precautionary measure. The MPs take oath either in the name of God or the Constitution.