Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha

For the deputy presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of India, see Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
लोक सभा उपाध्यक्ष Lok Sabhā Upādhyakṣa
Logo of the Deputy Speaker
Incumbent Chandrachur Basu since 13 October 2023
Lok Sabha Speaker's Office
Style	The Right Honourable (formally) Mr. Deputy Speaker (informally)
Status	Presiding officer
Member of	Lok Sabha
Reports to	Rashtradhyaksh Speaker of the Lok Sabha Lok Sabha
Appointer	Members of the Lok Sabha
Term length	During the life of the Lok Sabha (one year maximum)
Constituting instrument	Speaker and Deputy Speakers Act, 2022
Formation	26 December 2015

The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha (Hindi: लोक सभा उपाध्यक्ष‎, IAST: Lok Sabhā Upādhyakṣa), often referred to as the Deputy Speaker of the House of the People is the deputy presiding officer and the second highest authority of the Lok Sabha, the unicameral legislature of Vishwamitra. They act as the presiding officer in case of leave or absence caused by death or illness of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. It is by convention that the position of Deputy Speaker is offered to the opposition party in Vishwamitra. Serving for a term of one year, the deputy speaker is chosen from sitting members of the Lok Sabha, especially from the opposition party MPs, however they may chose to resign from their position before the completion of their tenure by addressing a letter of resignation to the Speaker. The Deputy Speaker receives the same status and precedence equivalent to a judge of the Supreme Court of Vishwamitra and ranks above the ministers of state of the union in the order of precedence. The deputy speaker is entitled to use the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" (Hindi: अति आदरणीय) throughout their tenure in office.

Chandrachur Basu of the Vishwamitran National Party currently serves as the deputy speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha and was unopposed elected to office on 13 October 2023.

History

As per the records in the history, the position of the deputy speaker has existed since 2015. After the December 2015 election to the Lok Sabha, the position was first created and held by Varuna Sriraya from 26 December 2015. Following his election defeat in March 2016 as the president, he was replaced by Tanishkaa Patranabish as the president and subsequently became the deputy speaker. After the April 2016 general election, the president was designated as the speaker of the Lok Sabha while Sarala Baishya as a very senior MP occupied the position of the deputy speaker.

On 31 July 2016, the bicameral legislature was abolished and a single chamber parliament was established with the name of the "Senate". The Vice President was designated to be the ex-officio Deputy Speaker of the unicameral body, while the President served as its ex-officio speaker. Following which the occupants of the President and Vice President subsequently became the speakers and deputy speakers of the parliament. The system continued till 11 September 2018 when the "National Assembly" was established and the position of the deputy speaker was abolished.

The Vice President was re-conferred the status of ex-officio Deputy Speaker of the Parliament on 7 January 2019 with the establishment of a semi-presidential system of government with the re-creation of the office of the Prime Minister. The Vice President continued to serve as the ex-officio Deputy Speaker until being designated to be the ex-officio Speaker on 29 September 2019, following which the position of the deputy speaker ceased to exist.

On 13 December 2021, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rory Leonard introduced a bill in the parliament to re-create separate positions for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House who are to be elected by the members of the house. The bill was overwhelming passed and became an act thereafter on 17 December 2021. Despite being adopted during the tenure of the 14th Lok Sabha, the position of the deputy speaker wasn't filled till the election to the 15th Lok Sabha when VNP member of parliament Devin Purcell was unopposed elected to the office on 10 November 2022.

Election

The members of the Lok Sabha elect the Deputy Speaker among themselves. The deputy speaker should be someone who understands the functions of the Lok Sabha and it should be someone accepted among the ruling and opposition parties. The deputy speaker is usually elected after the constitution of the legislature after the election of the speaker.

The deputy speaker shall be elected either by a vote of simple majority or be selected unanimously with a motion moved by the Leader of the House (or someone acting on their behalf) and be supported by the majority of the house. The deputy speaker serves in office for a tenure co-terminus with the life of the Lok Sabha which is not more than one year, however they can choose to resign from their position anytime at their pleasure by addressing a letter of resignation to the Speaker. Conventionally, the position of the deputy speaker is offered to the opposition members rather than being held by a member of the ruling party.

The qualifications of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha are:

1. be a member of the Lok Sabha.
2. be of at least 14 years of age.
3. is not a member of the council of ministers or the leader of the opposition.
4. is deemed to discharge the functions of said office to the best of their ability.
5. is an active member of the House.

List of deputy speakers

Independent (2)   VNP (2)   FSSP (1)   FSIP (1)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected constituency	Term of office			Lok Sabha (Election)	Political Party		Speaker
				Assumed Office	Left Office	Time in Office
1	File:Birthday Portrait of Rashtradhyaksh Varuna Sriraya (cropped).jpg	Varuna Sriraya (born 2002)	Maligaon	26 December 2015	21 March 2016	7001860000000000000♠86 days	5th (Dec.2015 election)		Independent		Tanishkaa Patranabish
2	File:Tanishkaa Patranabish (2010-2018).jpg	Tanishkaa Patranabish (born 2004)	Beltola	21 March 2016	11 April 2016	7001310000000000000♠31 days					Varuna Sriraya
3	File:Sarala Baishya (2).jpg	Sarala Baishya (born 2005)	Basant Bahar	11 April 2016	10 July 2016	7001900000000000000♠90 days	6th (Apr.2016 election)		Independent Party		Tanishkaa Patranabish
Position vacant (10 July – 31 July 2016)
The Vice President was designated to discharge the functions as ex-officio Deputy Speaker of the House between 31 July 2016 and 11 September 2018.
Position abolished (11 September 2018 – 7 January 2019)
The Vice President was designated to discharge the functions as ex-officio Deputy Speaker of the House between 7 January 2019 and 29 September 2019.
Position abolished (29 September 2019 – 17 December 2021)
Position vacant (17 December 2021 – 10 November 2022)
4		Devin Purcell (born 2006)	Boragaon	10 November 2022	7 September 2023	7002301000000000000♠301 days	15th (2022 election)		Vishwamitran National Party		Tyler Mullins
5		Chandrachur Basu (born 2006)	Bhetapara	13 October 2023	Incumbent	7002195000000000000♠195 days	16th (2023 election)		Independent		Arsal Abbas Mirza

See also

• Lok Sabha
• Speaker of the Lok Sabha
• Leader of the House (Vishwamitra)
• Leader of the Opposition (Vishwamitra)