New Delhi : After a meeting of the Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi the dates for the first session of the 16th Lok Sabha were officially announced. The LS would meet from June 4th to 11th.
As per the schedule released by the parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected members would take the first two days — June 4th and 5th. Former parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath, who is the senior most MP having been first elected in 1980, would be the pro tem speaker and he will administer the oath to the new members. He would be assisted in this task by three other members — Arjun Charan Sethi of the Biju Janata Dal, former speaker Purno Sangma and senior Congress MP Biren Singh Engti from Assam.
According to Naidu, the election for the post of speaker would take place on June 6th. At this moment, there are two names under consideration — former union minister Sumitra Mahajan and ex-deputy speaker Karia Munde. Mahajan, who has been elected to the Lok Sabha from the Indore constituency since 1989 without a break, is believed to be the front-runner in this race, and her election would mark a continuation in the tradition of women speakers in the Lok Sabha.
This is a brief first session, but the new BJP-government’s broad policy outline would be unveiled through the president’s address to a joint session of both the houses on June 9th. This would be followed with a discussion on the motion of thanks on the president’s address that would conclude with Modi’s address.
CABINET EXPANSION SOON: The Union Cabinet expansion could witness the induction of 25-30 ministers, mostly at the level of state ministers. It is expected to take place before the budget session begins in July. It will help Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the issue of finding a new defence minister in his cabinet and create room for nominees from various states and political partners that have been quietly nursing a grouse of their under representation in the current ministry.
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