The first Parliament session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 to July 3. This will be the special session of Parliament. It will be an important one as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "...after the elections, we are coming together for the first time..."
All eyes will be on the equation between the Opposition INDIA bloc, which won nearly 230 seats, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which won over 290 seats, in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Unlike the 2019 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, this time, the ruling BJP failed to cross the majority mark (272 seats) in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, the Congress and its allies emerged stronger in comparison to the last two national elections.
This makes it interesting to watch the upcoming Parliament session, where the Opposition is likely to raise a host of issues, while it won't be that easy for the Modi 3.0 government to pass laws. Besides, the first Parliament session of 2024 will witness key arrangements and appointments.
Here's what to watch out for the special session:
1. Oath: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the first session of rhe 18th Lok Sabha is being summoned from June 24 to July 3 for oath/affirmation of newly elected members. This means that the first three days of the session will see the newly-elected leaders taking oath or making affirmation of their membership of the Lok Sabha.
2. Speaker Election: The most important aspect of the first session will be the election of the Speaker of the House. The election to appoint a Lok Sabha Speaker to be held on June 26, 2024. Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and Chandrababu Naidu's TDP – the key members of the NDA – are eyes the post.
Until a new Speaker is elected, the senior-most Lok Sabha MP is picked to be the Speaker pro-tem. For this, a list, indicating MPs' seniority in terms of their tenure in the Lok Sabha as well as in the Rajya Sabha, is prepared. The pro-tem Speaker presides over the first few sessions of the Lok Sabha and conducts the vote for the new Speaker and deputy Speaker.
3. President's address: President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27. She may outline the new government's roadmap for the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to introduce his council of ministers to Parliament after the President's address on June 27.
4. Who will be the Leader of the Opposition? The Opposition has yet to choose a leader for the Opposition. Speculations are rife that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may take up the post. However, this is yet to be confirmed. A party needs one-tenth of the total strength – which is 55 members in the Lok Sabha – to elect a Leader of the Opposition. The Congress has 99 members in the Lower House.
5. Debate and PM Modi's response: The debate on the Motion of Thanks at the President's address is expected to witness the Opposition trying to corner the NDA government on several issues, including the NEET exam row. PM Modi will respond to the debate later in both Houses of Parliament.
Rijiju said the 264th Session of the Rajya Sabha will also commence on June 27 and conclude on July 3.
