News Brief
Eighteenth Lok Sabha's Inaugural Session To Begin Tomorrow: MPs Oath-Taking, Speaker Election, And President’s Address Among Key Agenda
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will commence on Monday (23 June), featuring the oath-taking of newly-elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by the election of the Speaker and President Droupadi Murmu's address to a joint sitting of both Houses.
This session marks the first after the general elections held from April to June.
The NDA holds a majority in the 18th Lok Sabha with 293 seats, while the BJP has 240 seats, falling short of the 272 majority mark. The Opposition, INDI Alliance bloc has 234 seats, with Congress contributing 99 of those.
Prime Minister Modi and his Council of Ministers will take their oaths starting at 11 am while the remaining 264 newly-elected parliamentarians will take theirs on the next day.
On Monday, President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Mahtab will then proceed to Parliament to call the Lok Sabha to order at 11 am.
The session will begin with a moment of silence to mark the first sitting of the 18th Lok Sabha, followed by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh presenting the list of elected members.
The pro tem speaker will also administer the oath to the panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist him until the Speaker's election on 26 June.
The President has appointed Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP), and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (Trinamool Congress) to assist Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the newly-elected members of the Lok Sabha.
The election for the Lok Sabha Speaker will be held on 26 June, followed by the Prime Minister introducing his council of ministers to the House.
President Murmu is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on 27 June, with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address beginning on 28 June. PM Modi is expected to respond to the debate on 2 or 3 July.
Both Houses are expected to take a brief recess and reconvene on 22 July for the presentation of the Union Budget.
