Karia Munda elected Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker

Bharatiya Janata Party's Karia Munda was today unanimously elected as the new Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha by a voice vote.

Leaders cutting across party lines backed the nomination of the seven-term tribal MP from Jharkhand for Deputy Speaker after the Congress-led UPA offered the post to the Opposition as per convention.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar declared that Munda has been elected Deputy Speaker of the House.

Since 1977, the post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha has been offered to the Opposition, while ruling alliance decides its nominee for Speaker.

Leader of the Opposition L K Advani moved the first motion proposing Munda's name for the post of Deputy Speaker. It was seconded by Rajnath Singh. Others who supported Munda's nomination were Sharad Yadav
(JD-U), Anant Geete (Shiv Sena), Ratan Singh Ajnala (Shiromani Akali Dal) and Ajit Singh (RLD).

On behalf of the UPA, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed Munda's name which was seconded by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sudip Bandopadhyay (TMC), T R Baalu (DMK), Reoti Raman Singh (SP) and E Ahamed (IUML) also backed Munda's nomination.