CURRENT UPDATE : SPEAKER OF THE 16TH LOK SABHA

SUMITRA MAHAJAN UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED SPEAKER OF LOK SABHA

Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was today unanimously elected Speaker of the 16^th  Lok Sabha, becoming the second woman presiding officer of the Lower House after her predecessor Meira Kumar.

Senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan has been chosen as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha unanimously today. Seventeen motions were moved from members from different parties including BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leaders of Congress, AIADMK, Lokjan Shakti Party, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress, TRS, Samajwadi Party, Shrimoni Akali Dal, NCP, TMC, JD(S) and the BJD also moved the motions in her favour.

The motions moved by former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H D Devegowda and BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab were not seconded as the members mentioned to second the motion were not present in the House. 

The motions moved by the NDA ally Apna Dal member Anupriya Patel and two others were not accepted by the Pro-Tem Speaker as they were time barred. After the declaration of her election for the post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader L K Adwani, leader of the Congress in the House Mallikarjun Kharge, AIADMK leader Thumbidurai, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, TMC leader Sudip Bandhopadhaya and others took her to the Chair.

Born on 12th April, 1943 in Chiplun of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, Sumitra Mahajan is the second woman after Meira Kumar elected as Lok Sabha Speaker. Incidently 71 year-old Mahajan is the eldest and senior-most among women Members of the Parliament. She started her political life at the age of 39, as municipal corporater in Indore. 

She became MP for the first time in 1989 from Indore and since then she has won 8 times, this time with the impressive margin of more than 4 lakhs.

She was a Minister of State in the Atal Bihar Vajpayee cabinet holding different portfolios of Human Resources, Communications and IT and Petroleum and Natural Gas. A lawyer turned-politician, Mahajan is known for the trademark simplicity, honesty and clean image besides her impeccable winning record at the hustings.