The 17th Lok Sabha began on Monday after the national elections during which President Ram Nath Kovind administered oath to pro tem Speaker Virendra Kumar, who in turn administered oath to the other lawmakers. Several key bills are expected to be introduced in this session including the one that would make the practice of Triple Talaq illegal.
BJP lawmaker Om Birla is set to be the next Speaker in the Lok Sabha, the opposition has accepted his candidature, sources said. The two-time lawmaker from Rajasthan's Kota is considered close to party chief and home minister Amit Shah.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by loud chants and thunderous applause as he took oath as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha on Monday. Among other lawmakers who took oath yesterday were Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani.
The rest of the lawmakers will be administered oath today. Administering oath to the 542 lawmakers takes the better part of two days. Rahul Gandhi, elected to parliament for the fourth time, also took oath as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha on Monday.
