Lok Sabha Speaker Election: Opposition Division Could Trigger Paper Vote

The Lok Sabha Speaker election may resort to paper votes if the opposition insists on a division. The new House's members haven't been allotted seats, rendering the electronic display system unusable. NDA's Om Birla and INDIA bloc's Kodikunnil Suresh are contesting the post.

If the opposition insists on a division during the election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday, votes will be cast on paper slips as the electronic display system cannot be used because the members of the new House are yet to be allotted seats, an expert said.

NDA nominee Om Birla faces off against INDIA bloc's Kodikunnil Suresh for the coveted post.

Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general P.D.T. Achary told PTI that the motions which have been moved will be put one by one in the order they were received. They will be decided, if necessary, by division.

If a motion proposing the name of a Speaker is carried through a voice vote, the presiding officer will declare that member as the Speaker of the House and will not put subsequent motions to vote.

If the opposition seeks a division of votes, the House staff will distribute paper slips to the members, and the votes will be recorded using this system.

Since division numbers (seats) have not been allocated to the members of the newly-constituted 18th Lok Sabha, the division machine (electronic display system) cannot be used and the results will take some time, Achary added.