BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh, Virendra Kumar, will be the pro-tem speaker of the Lok Sabha, official sources said on Tuesday. Kumar, 65, is a seven-term member of Parliament and won the Lok Sabha polls from Tikamgarh.
As pro-tem speaker, he will preside over the first sitting of the Lok Sabha and administer the oath of office to the newly elected MPs. The first session of the newly-constituted 17th Lok Sabha will be held from June 17 to July 26.
As pro-tem speaker, Kumar will also oversee the election of the Lok Sabha speaker. Kumar was a minister of state in the previous Modi government. Kumar comes with an RSS background as he began his political journey as an ABVP activist. He is a PhD holder in child labour and has masters in economics. Kumar was jailed during the Emergency and has done a lot of work for the welfare of children, promoting vegetarianism and preservation of cows.
Kumar contended with the likes of other senior leaders like Maneka Gandhi and former agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh before being elected as the pro-tem speaker. The BJP hopes that choosing a dalit as a pro-tem speaker sends out a strong signal across the country.
