Article 93 Simplified: The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of the People

Official Text

The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof and, so often as the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, the House shall choose another member to be Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be.

Simple Meaning

The Lok Sabha must choose two of its own MPs to be the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The Speaker is the 'Umpire' of the House who decides who speaks, maintains discipline, and interprets the rules of the debate.

Explain Like Ten

The Lok Sabha needs a referee — someone to run the meetings, keep order, and call on people to speak. The Lok Sabha members themselves vote among themselves to pick the Speaker (the head referee) and Deputy Speaker (the backup). Unlike the Rajya Sabha (whose Chairman is automatically the VP), the Lok Sabha picks its own chief!

Student Mode

Article 93 mandates that the Lok Sabha shall 'as soon as may be' choose two of its own members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. Key points: (1) Both are elected from within the Lok Sabha — they must be members. (2) By convention, the Speaker is from the ruling party/alliance and the Deputy Speaker can be from the opposition (though this is not constitutional). (3) Whenever these offices fall vacant, fresh elections must be held. (4) The Speaker chairs all Lok Sabha sessions and has significant powers including maintaining order and certifying Money Bills.

Example

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is one of the most powerful people in India's democracy, as they control how the people's house discusses every law.

Key Takeaway

The Speaker is the official leader and guardian of the Lok Sabha.

FAQs

Who elects the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

The members of the Lok Sabha elect the Speaker from among themselves by a simple majority.

Is there a constitutional convention for who becomes Deputy Speaker?

No constitutional provision mandates this, but there is a tradition of giving the Deputy Speaker's post to the opposition party. This convention was not followed in 2019.

What are the Speaker's key powers?

The Speaker presides over Lok Sabha sessions, maintains order, certifies Money Bills (Article 110), decides disqualification under the anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule), and casts a deciding vote in a tie.

Quiz

Who elects the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

Answer: The members of the Lok Sabha

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of which body?

Answer: The Lok Sabha

Related Topics

• Article 94
• Article 95