First session of 18th Lok Sabha on Monday, opposition gears up to raise paper leak issue

NEW DELHI: The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha begins on Monday with oath-taking ceremony of newly elected members as the opposition gears up to raise the paper-leak issue that has rocked the NDA government.
President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Mahtab will then call the Lok Sabha to order at 11am at Parliament House.
The session will begin with a moment of silence following which the Lok Sabha secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh will place the list of elected members on the table of the House. Mahtab will then invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, to take his oath as a member of the House.
The pro-tem speaker will also administer the oath to a panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist in the House's proceedings until the Speaker's election on June 26. This panel includes Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP), and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (TMC).
After the panel of chairpersons, the Council of Ministers will take their oaths, followed by members from various states, who will be called in alphabetical order over the next two days to take their oaths or make affirmations.
INDIA bloc MPs to gather in Parliament, march to Lok Sabha together
Lok Sabha MPs from INDIA bloc are expected to gather in the Parliament complex on Monday morning and march together to the House on the first day of the first session. MPs will convene near Gate No 2 of the old Parliament building, where the Gandhi statue once stood.
Some will carry copies of the Constitution of India as they walk to the Parliament building, a senior opposition party leader told PTI.
The Gandhi statue was a popular site for protests earlier but was recently relocated along with 14 other statues to an area known as Prerna Sthal.
Lok Sabha Speaker elections on Wednesday
The appointment of BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem speaker has sparked controversy, with opposition parties claiming Congress member K Suresh was unfairly overlooked for the post.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju defended the appointment, citing Mahtab's seven uninterrupted terms as a Lok Sabha member as his eligibility. In contrast, Rijiju pointed out that Suresh had lost elections in 1998 and 2004, making his current term his fourth straight one in the lower house, having also been elected in 1989, 1991, 1996, and 1999.
The election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker is set for Wednesday, and the Prime Minister will introduce his council of ministers to the House immediately afterward.
President Murmu to address joint sitting of both Houses on Thursday
President Murmu will address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27 and the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address will commence the next day. The Prime Minister expected to respond to the debate on either July 2 or 3.
Both Houses are anticipated to take a brief recess and reconvene on July 22 for the presentation of the Union Budget.