YSRCP MPs To Vote For BJP's Om Birla In Lok Sabha Speaker Election

The four MPs of Yuva Jana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would be voting for the Om Birla, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate for the post of Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

While the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has the numbers to get Birla elected, support from Jagan's party would give them a larger majority.

The Speaker has usually been decided by consensus and an election to the post is happening for the first time in decades. The Congress has fielded Kodikunnil Suresh, who is an eight-time MP from Adoor in Kerala.

While the YSRCP has usually supported the NDA government in the Parliament during Modi 2.0, and helped it pass important Bills, there was speculation that it may not continue to do so.

The big loss in Andhra (both in the Lok Sabha and Assembly) and the fact that the BJP is in alliance with its political rivals in the state, i.e., the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP), were thought to be reasons for a possible shift in its stance.

The party is likely to be an important player in the Rajya Sabha, given it has 11 MPs. Its support is thus good news for the BJP, which could look forward to the YSRCP helping it pass Bills in the Upper House, where it lacks the numbers.

Also Read: Om Birla Vs K Suresh: Rare Speaker Election In Lok Sabha Today With Numbers In Government's Favour— All About It