Om Birla, three-time BJP MP, was elected the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time on Wednesday after he defeated INDIA bloc's candidate K Suresh via voice vote in a rare contest. Celebrations erupted in Om Birla's hometown Kota after veteran leader's win. BJP workers gathered at the party office and the office of BJP MLA Sandeep Sharma, watching the proceedings of the Lower House raising slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Birla assumed the chair.
Birla's family expressed their congratulations and gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for nominating him for a second term as the speaker. Om Birla is the only Lok Sabha speaker after Balram Jakhar in 1985 to get two full terms. Earlier, the motions to elect Speaker of the Lok Sabha were moved by both NDA and INDIA factions. Traditionally, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha were elected based on consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. Om Birla is a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan. He was the speaker in the previous Lok Sabha (17th) too. K Suresh of the Congress, has served eight terms representing Kerala's Mavelikara constituency. Suresh holds the distinction of being the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.