New Delhi: Following the completion of the swearing-in ceremony for Modi 3.0 and the assignment of portfolios to the new ministers, the ruling BJP is confronted with two important tasks: choosing a new Speaker for Lok Sabha and appointing a new party chief.
JP Nadda, the current BJP president and former Health Minister in Narendra Modi's initial term, has returned to the cabinet, now heading the Health and Family Welfare, along with Chemicals and Fertilizers portfolios. The incoming BJP president will have to act promptly as Assembly elections are on the horizon in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra later this year.
Another critical item on the BJP's agenda is finalizing the NDA's choice for the Lok Sabha Speaker. Key allies N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JDU, whose support is crucial for the government's majority, are reportedly interested in the post.
This interest comes in the context of recent political mutinies that have fragmented parties and toppled governments, making the Speaker's role vital due to the anti-defection law. Both Mr. Naidu and Mr. Nitish Kumar, seasoned Coalition-era leaders, seek the Speaker's position as a safeguard against such challenges.
D Purandeshwari being considered for Speaker post?
However, BJP sources indicate a reluctance to hand over the Speaker's post to an ally. Although there is no official announcement yet, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeshwari is being considered for the role. Ms. Purandeshwari, daughter of former Chief Minister and iconic actor NT Rama Rao, and sister-in-law to Mr. Naidu, is a prominent candidate. Her husband, Daggubati Venkateshwara Rao, a former Congress MP and MLA, later joined the YSR Congress Party.
Ms. Purandeshwari joined BJP in 2014
Ms. Purandeshwari was initially elected to the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket and served as a Union Minister in the Manmohan Singh government. She left Congress in protest against the UPA government's decision to create Telangana from Andhra Pradesh and joined the BJP in 2014, eventually becoming its state chief.
The exclusion of Purandeshwari, the three-time MP, from the Modi 3.0 cabinet has surprised many, fueling speculation that she might be the BJP's candidate for the Speaker post.
Additionally, the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha position has remained vacant throughout Modi 2.0. During Modi's first term, M Thambidurai of the AIADMK, then a BJP ally, held the post. It remains to be seen whether the BJP will retain this position or offer it to its allies.
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