Battle over Speaker’s post hots up

The House is likely to settle for a voice vote a la Narasimha Rao in 1991 as none of the parties are keen to press for a division which would only expose the cracks that have developed in the UF over the question of supporting a Congress-led government. But while passing the confidence test will be a cinch for the BJP, installing a Speaker of its choice will not be as easy.

And the Congress is gearing up to use the delicate balance of numbers to push its own nominee into the Speaker’s chair.

As things stand today, the BJP-led alliance lags ten seats behind the Congress-United Front combine. There are 23 in the`others’ category and the frantic wooing in evidence these days is in preparation for the upcoming contest over the Speaker’s post. The position can be crucial in a House as hung as the present one which is split down the Centre. With the Uttar Pradesh experience in mind, where a sympathetic Speaker has been a boon to the BJP, neither the saffron brigade nor the Congress would like to concede the post to the other.

Congress circles are lobbying in right earnest for another term for Purno A Sangma. They cite his performance and his non-partisan decisions which ironically won him praise from none other than the BJP. The latter even invited him to address its MPs at a training camp in Jhinjhauli last year.

The BJP camp is still undecided on its candidate. The frontrunners are Ram Nayak, former deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly, and Sushma Swaraj, through whom the party would like to make a politically correct point on the gender issue.

But today, Akali leader S S Barnala’s name surfaced as well asa possible consensus candidate. Barnala’s relations with the constituents of the UF are excellent. The BJP is obviously hoping to scupper UF support for a Congress nominee by putting up old friend Barnala. Simultaneously, the party is negotiating with the Telegu Desam in the hope of winning Chandrababu Naidu’s support, not only for a Vajpayee Government but also for a saffron Speaker.

The BJP is believed to have mooted the idea of offering the post of Deputy Speaker to the TDP, although it is traditionally the prerogative of the Opposition, as a bait to Naidu to come out in its favour. Naidu has refused to commit himself so far, indicating that he will make his decision known only after the UF core committee meets on March 10.

Significantly, in 1996, the 13-day Vajpayee government had settled for Congress nominee Sangma as the Speaker after it became clear that it could not win the numbers game. The election of the Speaker is held before the confidence vote by the Government. The next few days will,therefore, see hectic lobbying for this post.