India's Parliament Elects Low-Profile Om Birla as Speaker

(Bloomberg) -- India’s lower house of parliament elected Om Birla, a second-term federal lawmaker from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, as speaker to oversee a chamber known for its rowdy debates and frequent walkouts.

Birla, 56, was the surprise pick, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP overlooking veteran leaders for the post. Birla, who was a three-term legislator in Rajasthan state assembly, has kept a low profile and works mostly at a local level for the party.

He was unanimously elected with both the support of the BJP-led coalition and the alliance led by the opposition Congress party. His appointment as speaker was announced in New Delhi Wednesday.

A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of BJP, Birla replaces eight-term BJP lawmaker Sumitra Mahajan, who held the post for the previous five years.

The first session of parliament after Modi’s massive election victory which saw his party win the first back-to-back majority since 1984, began on June 17 and is scheduled to end on July 26.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Subramaniam Sharma

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