Om Birla vs K Suresh: Lok Sabha Speaker's position to be decided today

Om Birla, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate for the post of Speaker of the Lok Sabha will face K Suresh, the Opposition-led INDIA bloc's contender. 

The position which will see an election for the first time since 1976 will witness Prime Minister Narendra Modi moving the motion that Om Birla be chosen as the Speaker of Lok Sabha, joined by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s support.

After a failed consensus between the NDA and the INDIA bloc, the latter fielded K Suresh against Om Birla. 

K Suresh is a Dalit Congress leader and an eight-time MP.

The Opposition, on June 25 had initially agreed to support Om Birla and not field a candidate of its own, however it changed its decision the last minute after senior BJP leaders disagreed with the Opposition's precondition that they be offered the Deputy Speaker's post.

Union Ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Rajnath Singh and INDIA bloc's KC Venugopal from Congress and DMK’s TR Baalu from DMK failed to solve the crisis as both the NDA and the Opposition stuck to their positions.