Om Birla was congratulated by the opposition leaders for being elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha for a second term. They urged him to stay impartial. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on behalf of the INDIA alliance, emphasised Birla’s role as the “final arbiter of the voice” of India’s people and pledged support for a well-functioning House. While Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav expressed his view and hoped that actions like suspension of MPs would not be taken as they hurt the dignity of the House. Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said “It is my firm belief and so far parliamentary democratic practice is concerned, the House belongs to the opposition. This attitude needs to be adopted by the ruling party.” DMK’s TR Baalu said that though Birla was elected as a BJP MP, now that he is the speaker, there should be no politics between him and the post. You have to treat each and every opposition and ruling party the same… kindly be impartial, Baalu said.
MAYAWATI’S ACTION TO BRING BACK HER NEPHEW AKASH TO POWER MAKES SENSE
The maiden poll victory of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad from the Nagina Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh has put a new life to Dalit politics in the state, compelling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati to reinstate her nephew Akash Anand as the party’s national coordinator and declare him as her only successor. The move was taken at the party’s first review meeting after the BSP’s drubbing in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, which saw its vote share dip to 9.39 percent. Now, with the Dalit vote moving towards the Congress, SP and Chandrashekhar Azad. It is most likely that Anand’s comeback will bring benefit to the BJP.
RJD NOMINATES ABHAY KUMAR AS LOK SABHA LEADER OF PARTY TO INFLUENCE KUSHWAHAS
To influence Kushwaha community which accounts for 4.2% of Bihar’s population ahead of the assembly election next year, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has appointed Abhay Kumar Kushwaha as leader of the parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha. While former Union Minister Prem Chandra Gupta has been assigned the responsibility in the Rajya Sabha Kushwaha is a newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) from Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency. The Kushwaha community, the Kush of Lav-Kush caste combination, has traditionally supported JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar over the past 20 years. However, that changed in the recent Lok Sabha election, with the opposition alliance making a big dent in Kumar’s Lav-Kush base. Apart from Abhay Kumar, Kushwaha from Aurangabad, Raja Ram Singh of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) also registered victory from Karakat. In fact, in Karakat, Upendra Kushwaha, a influential leader of the community, despite support from NDA had to meet defeat. On the other hand, JD-U has named its Supaul MP Dileshwar Kamait to lead the party in the Lok Sabha while Sanjay Jha will be the leader in the Rajya Sabha. Kamait, who hails from the Mahadalit community, was elected from Supaul for the second time. His appointment is seen as a message by JD-U President and Bihar Chief Minister to the Mahadalit community.
AJIT PAWAR FACTION OF NCP IS IN DOLDRUMS AFTER REBUFF IN LOK SABHA POLLS
Amid high speculations that 15 to 20 MLAs from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction might switch side, NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar stated that his party would welcome with open arms only those MLAs who would support and benefit the party while rejecting those who might harm it. Various Sources indicated that several MLAs from Ajit Pawar’s faction have been in touch with Sharad Pawar and his party leaders have been expressing a desire to rejoin. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar-led NCP leaders were reportedly upset over being offered the Minister of State (MoS) post in the Modi 3.0 cabinet.NCP leader Praful Patel was offered an MoS post but declined, stating that accepting it would be viewed as a downgrade from his previous position as a Union minister with Cabinet rank.
PAPPU YADAV OF PURNIA TAKES OATH IN LOK SABHA WITH BIHAR ZINDABAD SLOGAN
Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan, who is popularly known as Pappu Yadav, wore a T-shirt emblazoned with “re-neet” when he came to the Lok Sabha to take oath on Tuesday. He began his oath by saying “Bihar zindabad” and concluded it with slogans demanding NEET-UG re-examination and special category status for Bihar. When members from the treasury benches objected to his slogans, the MP from Bihar’s Purnia hit out at them, saying he was a six-time MP and needed no lessons on what to say. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) for MBBS/BDS and other medical courses has been mired in a controversy over alleged irregularities in its conduct.
INDIA BLOC PARTIES CONCLUDE SEAT SHARING TALKS IN MAHARASHTRA FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS
The Lok Sabha poll has led to have altered power equations within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and may lead to impact their seat-sharing formula for the Maharashtra state assembly elections scheduled for October this year. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has undoubtedly emerged as the single largest party with 13 Lok Sabha MPs plus one independent MP, the Congress has a legitimate right to contest more seats in the state assembly elections. However, they are geared to adjust some seats in the larger interest of the alliance. On the other hand Sanjay Raut said the MVA contested the Lok Sabha polls unitedly and showed how Maharashtra stopped the BJP from getting a full majority. Sources say that seat sharing discussions have been concluded among MVA partners. The three parties will have equal share of 96 each out of the total assembly seats of 288. There is big optimism in MVA camp that the alliance will be defeating the NDA comfortably in the assembly elections by the end of this year. (IPA Service)
