After the swearing-in of Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers, everyone is now focusing on the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha. There are many formalities involved when a new Lok Sabha is formed, such as choosing the leader of the opposition, deciding seating arrangements for leaders, and administering the oath to MPs. But before all that, the election of the Protem Speaker takes place. So, what is a Protem Speaker, how is one chosen, and what are their responsibilities? Let’s find out.
According to the second provision of Article 94 of the Constitution, the Speaker’s position becomes vacant just before the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha. This means that when the new Lok Sabha meets, the old Speaker, Om Birla, will no longer hold the position. In this situation, a member of the House is chosen to perform the Speaker’s duties, and the President appoints this member as the Protem Speaker. The Protem Speaker presides over the first meeting of the Lok Sabha.
So, what exactly is a Protem Speaker? A Protem Speaker is a temporary Speaker appointed to conduct proceedings in Parliament or state assemblies until a new Speaker is elected. They also preside over the first meeting of the Lok Sabha.
Now, let’s understand their duties and how they are appointed. The Protem Speaker’s job is to conduct proceedings, just like a regular Speaker. Additionally, they administer the oath to all the newly elected MPs. Although the President appoints the Protem Speaker, there is a process involved. When a new government is formed, a list of senior members is made. This seniority is based not on their age, but on their tenure in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. This list is given to the Prime Minister, who selects one member as the Protem Speaker and three more members in front of whom the other ministers can take their oaths. The elected MPs’ consent is also taken for these names. After everyone agrees, a note is given to the President, asking for approval of the Protem Speaker and the other three members. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister handles all these tasks.
The President administers the oath to the Protem Speaker, and this ceremony takes place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During this event, the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister are present. After taking the oath, the Protem Speaker administers the oath to the remaining three members in the House.
The Lok Sabha session begins at 11 am, so the Protem Speaker’s oath-taking ceremony usually happens at 9:30 am on the same day. In 2019, Dr. Virendra Kumar, who is currently in the Modi cabinet, served as the Protem Speaker.
