NK Premachandran and INDIA Bloc to Contest Lok Sabha Speaker Elections

NK Premachandran, a member of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, announced that the INDIA bloc will field candidates for the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker elections. This comes amid controversy over Bhartruhari Mahtab’s appointment as pro-tem Speaker.

Premachandran stated, “Definitely, we will contest the Speaker post as well as the Deputy Speaker post. Let the government come out with their opinion on whether they are going to discuss with the opposition parties so as to have a consensus on the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and then we will think of it. Otherwise, we will definitely contest.”

Bhartruhari Mahtab was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The swearing-in ceremony marked the start of the 18th Lok Sabha’s first session, beginning with the oath-taking of new MPs.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on emergency, Premachandran alleged that the BJP government attempted to rewrite the Constitution during their second term. He said, “In the last 10 years of the BJP government, the Constitution and constitutional institutions have been taken over. The independence of the constitutional autonomous institutions is being taken away. There was a strong move on the part of the government to change the Constitution.”

Premachandran emphasized the need to protect India’s secular democracy and parliamentary principles. Meanwhile, INDIA bloc leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, protested inside Parliament, holding copies of the Constitution. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the ruling party for neglecting key issues and the Dalit community.