Bhartruhari Mahtab Appointed as Speaker Protem of Lok Sabha

BJP MP, Bhartruhari Mahtab, has been named as the Speaker Protem of the Lok Sabha, taking the role of presiding officer until the election of a new Speaker. The announcement was made by Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kiren Rijiju.

This appointment sees Mahtab, who is a seven-term Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, take on a crucial role in the parliamentary proceedings. Previously associated with the Biju Janta Dal (BJD), Mahtab joined the BJP earlier this year before the elections took place.

In recognition of his contributions, Mahtab was awarded the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 2017 for his noteworthy performances in debates held in Lok Sabha.

Following the tradition, Mahtab will be supported by Lok Sabha members, K Suresh, T R Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who will assist him in various parliamentary procedures.

Notably, the post of Speaker Protem is a temporary position that is in place until a new Speaker is elected by a majority in the House. The Speaker Protem is responsible for overseeing the swearing-in ceremony of new Members of Parliament and other initial duties.

Reacting to Mahtab’s appointment, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mentioned the convention of appointing the MP with the most terms as the Speaker Protem for the first two days. Ramesh pointed out that the seniormost MPs in the current Lok Sabha, Kodikunnil Suresh and Virendra Kumar, had both served the most terms.