To reap profits at times of crisis, BJP eyes Speaker post

The BJP, the single largest party in the assembly, is trying hard to get its MLA elected as the Speaker of the new House as it feels that the presiding officer will play a crucial role whenever there is a crisis on the floor.

This move comes when there is no clarity on whether the Congress will support an AAP candidate for the post.

The BJP is likely to field five-time MLA and former finance minister of Delhi, Prof Jagdish Mukhi for the post.

The BJP’s leadership believes that if the Congress withdraws its support to the AAP government anytime in future, the party can get support of some AAP members to form government. “If such a situation arises and a small group defects from the AAP, the Speaker’s role comes handy to form the government,” a senior BJP leader said.

The election of the new Speaker will be held before Arvind Kejriwal proves majority in the assembly. The Speaker is elected by a simple majority in the House. A pro-tem Speaker, appointed by the Lt Governor (L-G), presides over the election. Kejriwal’s government will have to prove its majority on the floor of house after the Speaker is elected.

“The party will easily manage to get the numbers to get a BJP nominee elected as the speaker. The Congress has not extended it support to AAP to nominate its Speaker. With 28 MLAs it will be difficult for the AAP to get its candidate elected as Speaker,” Prof Mukhi said.