How the Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker is elected and what the office can do

The speaker of the Uttar Pradesh assembly is elected by members of the House from among themselves. Article 178 says each state assembly shall, as soon as may be, choose two members to be speaker and deputy speaker. After a new assembly is constituted, the speaker is elected in the first session once members have taken the oath.

To administer the oath and run proceedings until that election, the governor appoints a member as pro tem speaker. In the 18th assembly, Satish Mahana was elected speaker in March 2022.

How long the office lasts

Under Article 179 the speaker vacates office on ceasing to be a member of the assembly. The speaker may resign in writing to the deputy speaker. The speaker can be removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then members of the House, with at least 14 days’ notice.

The speaker does not leave office when the assembly is dissolved, and continues until immediately before the first meeting of the new assembly. Under Article 181, while a resolution for removal is under consideration, the speaker does not preside but may speak and vote in the first instance.

Powers inside the House

The speaker conducts proceedings, maintains order and interprets the rules. Under Article 189 the speaker does not vote in the first instance but has a casting vote in case of a tie. Under Article 199 the speaker’s decision on whether a bill is a money bill is final.

Under the Tenth Schedule the speaker also decides whether an MLA is disqualified on grounds of defection. In Kihoto Hollohan (1992) the Supreme Court held that this decision is open to judicial review.

The deputy speaker’s role

When the office of speaker is vacant, the deputy speaker performs its duties. If both are vacant, the governor appoints a member to do so (Article 180). The speaker’s salary and allowances are fixed by a law of the legislature and charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State (Article 186).

Key points

• The speaker of the Uttar Pradesh assembly is elected by members of the House from among themselves.
• Under Article 179 the speaker vacates office on ceasing to be a member of the assembly.
• The speaker conducts proceedings, maintains order and interprets the rules.
• When the office of speaker is vacant, the deputy speaker performs its duties.

The 2024 Lok Sabha context

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats were won as follows: Samajwadi Party 37, BJP 33, Congress 6, RLD 2, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) 1 and Apna Dal (S) 1. Lok Sabha and assembly elections turn on different issues and alliances, so the two results should not be added together to reach a conclusion.

The structure of the House

The Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly has 403 seats. Of these, 84 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes. The majority mark is 202. The state sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha and 31 to the Rajya Sabha. The legislative council is a separate House whose members come through different electorates and nomination.

Also read:

• Ayodhya district assembly results 2022
• Budaun district assembly results 2022
• Mathura district assembly results 2022

Source: Election Commission of India. Figures are from official statistical reports.

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