Parliament Live Updates: Administering oath to 542 lawmakers takes the better part of 2 days. (File)
The 17th Lok Sabha began on Monday after the national elections during which President Ram Nath Kovind administered oath to pro tem Speaker Virendra Kumar, who in turn administered oath to the other lawmakers. Several key bills are expected to be introduced in this session including the one that would make the practice of Triple Talaq illegal.
BJP lawmaker Om Birla is set to be the next Speaker in the Lok Sabha, the opposition has accepted his candidature, sources said. The two-time lawmaker from Rajasthan's Kota is considered close to party chief and home minister Amit Shah.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by loud chants and thunderous applause as he took oath as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha on Monday. Among other lawmakers who took oath yesterday were Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani.
The rest of the lawmakers will be administered oath today. Administering oath to the 542 lawmakers takes the better part of two days. Rahul Gandhi, elected to parliament for the fourth time, also took oath as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha on Monday.
Here are the Highlights from the Parliament:
Ravi Kishan takes oath as the Member of Parliament
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi takes oath as a Member of Parliament.
BJP's Maneka Gandhi takes oath as a Member of Parliament., reports news agency ANI.
BJP's winning candidate from Unnao, Sakshi Maharaj takes oath as a Member of Parliament, in Sanskrit.
Congress Names Adhir Chowdhury Lok Sabha Chief
The Congress today named senior lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury its leader in Lok Sabha, after failing to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the post.
At the long pending strategy session this morning, where Rahul Gandhi and his mother UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were present, the matter was discussed.
A letter has been written to Lok Sabha, mentioning Mr Chowdhury would be the leader of the single largest party and represent it at all important selection committees.
BJP's winning candidate from Mathura, Hema Malini takes oath as a Member of Parliament. She concluded her oath with "Radhe Radhe! Krishnam Vande, Jagat Guru."
Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav takes oath as a member of the Parliament.
Congress MP from Sivaganga, Karti Chidambaram takes oath as member of Lok Sabha.
New members administered oath
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, actor Sunny Deol and Aam Aadmi Party's lone MP Bhagwant Mann are among the leaders who took oath as members of the 17th Lok Sabha. IUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and former Union ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Preneet Kaur and Shashi Tharoor were also administered oath on the second day of the maiden session.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, on Om Birla's candidature for Lok Sabha Speaker, tells news agency ANI: "PM, Defence Minister, Home Minister, Transport Minister were the proposers. The BJD, Shiv Sena, National People's Party, Mizo National Front, Akali Dal, Lok Janshakti Party, YSRCP, JDU, AIADMK, and Apna Dal have signed the proposal."
"We have talked to Congress, they have not signed the proposal yet but they won't oppose it. I have met Ghulam Nabi Azad," he adds.
Parties Support Om Birla's Candidature
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has passed a resolution to support NDA candidate Om Birla for his candidature for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, reports news agency ANI. Om Birla will file his nomination around 12 pm today, it adds.
YSR Congress Party and AIADMK to also support Om Birla's candidature for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker.
Aam Aadmi Party MP from Punjab's Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann, takes oath as member of the Lok Sabha, concludes with "Inquilab Zindabad".
Hema Malini arrives at the Parliament
Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Punjab's Gurdaspur, Sunny Deol, takes oath as member of the 17th Lok Sabha.
Congress leaders P Chidambaram, K Suresh, Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary met at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's residence earlier to discuss the party's strategy in Parliament during the Budget Session.
NDA's choice to select Om Birla was confirmed by Amita Birla, his wife. "It is a very proud and a happy moment for us. We are very thankful to the cabinet for choosing him," she has been quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Mr Birla, however, says: "I have no information, I had just went to meet the Working President as a 'karyakarta'."
The 56-year-old has been associated with the BJP youth wing and has also been in charge of the organisational revamp in Rajasthan in 2018.
BJP lawmaker Om Birla will be the NDA's candidate for the post of the Speaker in the Lok Sabha. The two-time lawmaker from Rajasthan's Kota is considered close to party chief and home minister Amit Shah.