Lok Sabha secretariat busy identifying seniormost person for Protem Speaker's role

NEW DELHI: With preparations on for the formation of the 16th Lok Sabha, the Lok Sabha secretariat is busy identifying the seniormost person who could be Protem Speaker to initiate the formal functioning of the new Lok Sabha. The picture will be clear on Friday, after the results are out. But meanwhile a shortlist of senior members is already been prepared.

The short list of senior members contesting the polls this time is headed by two nine-time MPs Basudeb Acharia of the CPM from West Bengal and Manikrao H Gavit of Congress from Maharashtra. If they are re-elected both MPs will be in their 10th term in the lower House of Parliament. Gavit acted as the Protem Speaker in the last Lok Sabha. A final call can only be taken after the results are out on Friday.

In case neither Acharia nor Gavit make it this time, the secretariat will have to look from among MPs who have completed eight terms in the House. Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath is the next line having completed eight terms in the lower House.

But if Kamal Nath too loses, apart from Acharia and Gavit then the choice will have to be made from among eight MPs who have completed seven terms in Lok Sabha. They are CPM's Ram Chandra Dom from Bengal, BJP's Sumitra Mahajan from Madhya Pradesh, Kariya Munda of BJP from Jharkhand, Congress's Vilas Baburao Muttenwar from Maharashtra, CPM's Baju Ban Riyan from Tripura , BJD's Arjun Charan Sethi from Odisha, JMM's Shibu Soren from Jharkhand and JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav from Bihar.

However, apart from being members of the Lok Sabha, seniority of MPs will also be judged in terms of their terms in Rajya Sabha, in case they have been members of the Upper House at some juncture when they were not part of the elected House of members.

Lok Sabha secretary general P Sreedharan on Thursday announced that the secretariat was making all arrangements for the new MPs to arrive and register with the secretariat from Friday. They will be facilitated from the airports and railway stations with help desks, transporrtation, accomodation, and also with training to the first time MPs on how to function in the House.