Did not consider Kodikunnil Suresh; Bhartruhari Mahtab appointed pro tem Speaker of Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday appointed Bhartruhari Mahtab, a BJP MP from Odisha, as the pro tem Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. The eight-time MP Kodikunnil Suresh was not taken into consideration when Bhartruhari, a seven-time MP, was selected as the pro tem Speaker.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Kodikunnil Suresh, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sudip Bandyopadhyay were appointed to assist the pro tem Speaker in oath-taking of the newly-elected members.

Bhartruhari Mahtab, the son of former Odisha Chief Minister Dr Harekrushna Mahatab, is a leader who quit the BJD and joined the BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections. He was re-elected this time from his sitting constituency Cuttack in Odisha. Mahtab will oversee the swearing-in of Lok Sabha members on June 24 and the Speaker election on June 26.