Congress and Trinamool Congress Clash Over Speaker's Election Despite Reconciliation Efforts

Less than twenty-four hours after the Congress and the Trinamool Congress had reconciled over the Speaker's election, the Opposition's demand for a division (physical vote) was turned down by pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab because the Congress leadership had not pressed for it.

Leader of the Trinamool Congress Abhishek Banerjee told reporters outside of Parliament, "The motion was adopted without putting it to a vote." This demonstrates unequivocally that the administration lacked the necessary numbers.

Additionally, he tried to take up the cause of the MPs who had called for a division, claiming that it must be permitted even if only one member did so. "It is evident from the Lok Sabha footage that multiple opposition members have called for and requested a split," Abhishek remarked.

Although some members of the INDIA bloc had called for a split, it was evident that the Congress leadership was against pushing for one after making a statement by nominating a candidate for the Speaker position. Earlier in the day, the Trinamool Congress informed the Congress that it will back Kodikunnil Suresh's candidacy and follow their decision on a voice vote or division in the vote.

AICC's media coordinator The INDIA group "exercised their democratic right and moved motions in support of Kodikunnil Suresh as Lok Sabha Speaker," Jairam Ramesh subsequently told reporters. The INDIA bloc parties may have demanded a split following the voice vote. That is not what they did. This is because they desired an atmosphere of agreement and collaboration to rule, which was conspicuously absent from the PM and NDA's activities.

There were either some members of the INDIA group who held a different opinion or this was not conveyed to all of them.

Additionally on Tuesday, some constituents of the INDIA group chastised the Congress for submitting the Suresh nomination without seeking input from all parties. Time was an issue on both instances, although as one MP noted, the Congress could have planned it more effectively because the Speaker's election schedule was known for days in advance. However, the leaders of Congress claimed that little time had been left for planning because the government had only recently contacted them with the suggested name.

In addition, the INDIA bloc parties have started discussions to choose a Member of Parliament from the Opposition for the role of deputy Speaker, even though the government has not indicated that it intends to occupy the position that has been unoccupied for the entirety of the 17th Lok Sabha.