Speakers of Lok Sabha

Speakers Lok Sabha of India

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The Speaker’s office carries great honour and dignity. It has been said of the office of the Speaker that while the members of  Parliament represent the individual constituencies, the Speaker represents the full authority of the House itself. The Speakers unique position is illustrated by the fact that it is placed very high in the Warrant of Precedence in our country, standing next only to the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister.

The speaker is elected in the very first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general elections. The Speaker of the House of the People is elected by the House from among its members, but in practice the Speaker is the nominee of the majority party in the House of the People.

The Speaker is elected for the life of the House i.e., five Years. The Speaker holds office from the date of his/her election till immediately before the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after the dissolution of the one to which he/she was elected. The Speaker is eligible for re-election. On the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, although the Speaker ceases to be a member of the House, he/she does not vacate the office. The Speaker may, at any time, resign from office by writing under his/her hand to the Deputy Speaker. The Speaker can be removed from office only on a resolution of the House. Such a resolution requires fourteen day’s notice and the resolution must be passed by majority, of all the members of the House of the People present and voting.

The Speaker is the head of the Lok Sabha Secretariat which functions under his/her ultimate control and direction. Our Speaker possesses almost the same powers as the Speaker of the British House of Commons. The Speaker presides over the meetings of the House. The primary duty of the speaker is to control debate. It is also his/her responsibility to see that parliamentary time is used properly. He/She may adjourn the House. If there is no quorum, he/she may suspend the meeting of the House. No member of the Lok Sabha has the power to speak without his/her consent. The members of House of the People address the Speaker only. He/She interprets the rules of procedure of the House.

List of Speakers of Lok Sabha of India:

S No. Name Office Tenure
1. Sh. G.V. Mavalankar 215 May 1952-27 February 1956
2. M. A. Ayyangar 28 March 1956-10 May 1957
  M. A. Ayyangar 11 May 1957-16 April 1962
3. Sardar Hukam Singh 17 April 1962-16 March 1967
4. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 17 March 1967-19 July 1969
5. Gurdial Singh Dhillon 8 August 1969-19 March 1971
  Gurdial Singh Dhillon 22 March 1971-1 December 1975
6. Bali Ram Bhagat 15 January 1976-25 March 1977
(4.) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 26 March 1977-13 July 1977
7. K. S. Hegde 21 July 1977-21 January 1980
8. Dr Balram Jakhar 22 January-1980 15 January 1985
  Dr Balram Jakhar 16 January 1985-18 December 1989
9. Rabi Ray 19 December 1989-9 July 1991
10. Shivraj Patil 10 July 1991-22 May 1996
11. P. A. Sangma 23 May 1996-23 March 1998
12. G. M. C. Balayogi 24 March 1998-19 October 1999
  G. M. C. Balayogi 22 October 1999-3 March 2002
13. Manohar Joshi 10 May 2002-2 June 2004
14. Somnath Chatterjee 4 June 2004-31 May 2009
15. Meira Kumar 4 June 2009-4 June 2014
16. Sumitra Mahajan 6 June 2014-Incumbent