ASSEMBLY POLL '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS '98
ARCHIVES

Congress assured of motion to elect deputy speaker

Lok Sabha speaker G M C Balayogi is understood to have assured the Congress that a notification would be issued within next few days to set in motion the election for the post of deputy speaker.

Balayogi gave this assurance to congress chief whip P J Kurien who met the speaker in his chamber in Parliament house in this connection.

The election, which was to be held in the last session, was put off to avoid a contest between the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Congress had nominated P M Sayeed, a ninth term Lok Sabha member, as its candidate for the post; the BJP had fielded Rita Verma, a fourth time member from Dhanbad.

The election was deferred after all efforts to arrive at a consensus had failed during the last session. The BJP contended that since the speaker was from the Telugu Desam Party, an opposition party, the deputy speakership should got to the ruling coalition.

But the Congress maintained that for all practical purposes, Balayogi was the official candidate for speakership and therefore the deputy's speaker's post should be given to the Congress.

Tell us what you think of this report