Who Is K Suresh, The Congress Veteran Challenging Om Birla For Lok Sabha Speaker Post
The 68-year old politician has been nominated by the INDIA bloc as their candidate for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.
Kodikunnil Suresh, a veteran politician representing the Congress party, has forced a first in independent India. The parliament member from has filed his nomination against Om Birla for the position of Lok Sabha Speaker, which will lead to an election for the office for the first time since 1946.
The 68-year old politician has been nominated by the INDIA bloc as their candidate for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. His nomination was formally submitted on Tuesday, setting the stage for a contested election against NDA's Om Birla on June 26.
Suresh won the Mavelikkara seat in Kerala during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He had stood against Communist Party of India leader CA Arun Kumar. The MP's political career includes serving as a junior minister in the second term of Manmohan Singh's government. Of is eight terms as MP, four have been consecutive. His term was interrupted between 1998 and 2004.
Suresh has represented Mavelikkara four times and previously represented the Adoor constituency four times. Within the Congress party, he is a Member of the Congress Working Committee (Special Invitee). He was also the working president of Congress's Kerala unit and the chief whip of the Congress party in Lok Sabha.
However, Suresh's political journey has been dotted with controversies. In 2009, the Kerala High Court disqualified his election victory over allegations related to his caste certificate and religious affiliation. However, the Supreme Court later overturned this decision, reaffirming his eligibility.
The procedure for electing the Lok Sabha Speaker follows Article 93 of the Constitution of India. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority, meaning the candidate who garners more than half of the votes from the members present in the house assumes the role of Speaker.
