NDA ally Shiv Sena likely to be appointed as Lok Sabha Dy Speaker: sources

New Delhi, Jun.30 (HS): The position of the Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha is likely to be allocated to a leader from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Shiv Sena,  was confirmed by sources on Sunday.

This is the first session of Parliament after the re-election of Narendra Modi to the  prime minister’s office in its second term which would continue till July 26. During the ongoing session of the Lok Sabha, a new Deputy Speaker would be elected. However, there were wide speculations regarding the party getting the post.

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader and  Member of Parliament (MP) from Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Raut had first  claimed that the natural right and claim  for the  post of  Deputy Speaker should be  from his party. Bhavana Gawali, the Shiv Sena MP from Yavatmal-Washim Parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra has been put forth by the BJP’s Maharashtra ally.   However, there were  reports which had stated  chances of Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) looking in the race for the post.

Amid these wide speculations, sources have confirmed to a leading media source that leaders from YSRCP and BJD are no longer in the race for the post of Deputy Speaker. The YSRCP has stayed away from this post till its demand to accord special status to Andhra Pradesh is not accepted by the Central government. The refusal of BJD to accept the post of Deputy Speaker is their position to maintain equal relations with both BJP and Congress.

 Sources  also said that Shiv Sena has been putting pressure over the NDA government to elect their  party leader to the important post. Two rounds of meetings have already taken place between BJP and Shiv Sena regarding the latter’s demand to elect their leader in this regard, sources added.

 In the Lower House, BJP’s ally Shiv Sena has a total strength  of  18 MPs at present. It is noteworthy that often leader from the  opposition party have the right to the post of Deputy speaker but this time, indications are that Congress would be offered the post. The DMK, a close ally of the Congress is the second largest party in the Lok Sabha with  23 members followed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) and YSRCP (22 each) and BJD (12). In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the  leader from AIADMK  which was the second largest opposition party was elected as the