Previous Year Question
Who amongst the following was appointed as Protem Speaker for sixteenth Lok Sabha?
Murali Manohar Joshi
Kamal Nath
Lal Krishna Advani
Mallikarjun Kharge
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Kamal Nath was appointed the Speaker Pro-tem of the 16th Lok Sabha. President Pranab Mukherjee appointed him on 29 May 2014 under Article 95(1) of the Constitution of India. He discharged the duties of the Speaker Pro-tem from 4 to 6 June 2014.
The Speaker Pro-tem is appointed to conduct the proceedings of the House after the formation of a new Lok Sabha until the election of its regular Speaker. Generally, a senior and experienced parliamentarian is selected for this position. The Speaker Pro-tem plays an important role in administering the oath to newly elected members and conducting the election of the regular Speaker.
The 16th Lok Sabha was constituted on 18 May 2014, and its first sitting was held on 4 June 2014. Kamal Nath was a senior Congress leader elected from the Chhindwara parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He first became a Lok Sabha member in 1980 and was elected for the ninth time in 2014.
On 6 June 2014, Sumitra Mahajan was unanimously elected as the regular Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha. She became the second woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha after Meira Kumar. Thus, Kamal Nath held the position temporarily, while Sumitra Mahajan assumed office as the regular Speaker.