New Delhi. The 18th Lok Sabha is going to start on Monday. Today, all the newly elected MPs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take oath, after which the Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected. President Draupadi Murmu will address a joint meeting of both the houses on June 27. This will be the first Lok Sabha session after the general elections held between April and June.
In the 18th Lok Sabha, the NDA has a majority with 293 seats, while the BJP has 240 seats, which is less than the majority figure of 272. The opposition party India Block has 234 seats, while the Congress has 99 seats.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his Council of Ministers will take oath from 11 am. After Prime Minister Modi takes oath, other members of the Council of Ministers will take oath.
After this, MPs from different states will take oath alphabetically. This means that the newly elected MPs of Assam will take oath and the MPs of West Bengal will take oath last. 280 newly elected MPs, including PM Modi and his council of ministers, will take oath, while 264 newly elected MPs will take oath the next day (25 June).
The controversy over the appointment of BJP leader and seven-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem speaker is also likely to impact the session. The move has been strongly criticised by the opposition, which alleges that the government has ignored the claim of Congress member Kodikunnil Suresh for the post. The opposition party is planning to protest ahead of the swearing-in on Monday.
