Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed the first major political test of his third term on Wednesday as a ruling party candidate was elected speaker of the lower house of parliament, defeating an opposition lawmaker by a voice vote.
Om Birla, from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who served as speaker in the last term, was re-elected, defeating K Suresh, an eight-time MP from the opposition Congress party.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, declared the leader of the opposition late on Tuesday by his party, joined Modi in congratulating Birla on his election, marking a rare display of harmony between the two bitter rivals.
This marks the first time Gandhi, 54, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, will assume a constitutional role in parliament, a position that grants him the status of a cabinet minister.
“It is very important that the voice of the opposition is allowed to be represented in this house,” Gandhi said in his speech while congratulating Birla.
The speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, is typically a lawmaker from the largest party and is usually elected unopposed through a consensus between parties.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance holds 293 seats in the lower house, 21 more than the required majority of 272.
Modi, sworn in as prime minister for a record-equalling third time on June 9, will need the support of regional parties to govern effectively in his third term, following his party’s loss of an outright majority in parliament.
The speaker, who conducts business in the decision-making lower house and presides over it, plays a crucial role in the passage of laws.
