(Image source from: Lok Sabha to get its second woman speaker as Sumitra Mahajan})
If everything goes as scripted, then BJP veteran Sumitra Mahajan would become the second woman to occupy the office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the first being the outgoing speaker Meira Kumar.
Adding more women power to its team, BJP has unanimously nominated the eight-term Lok Sabha member from Indore for the chair. With the party having a majority in the house, the party's most experienced parliamentarian is likely to be elected unopposed.
A generation of leaders have grown old waiting for the 71-year-old Sumitra Mahajan to lose from the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. She almost created a world record this election by cinching her eighth consecutive win from her constituency.
Popularly called as Sumitra tai, the lady is best known in the circles for her mild manners and universal appeal. One of the longest-serving women members of Parliament, Mahajan kicked off her career as a corporator of the Indore Municipal Corporation in 1982.
A trained lawyer, she has held various ministerial positions in her political career spanning over decades. She was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. Since then she hasn't lost a single election till date. She has also served as the Minister of State in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government from 1999-2004. She has held Human Resource Development, Communication and Information Technology and Petroleum and Natural Gas portfolios.
In course of her long political career, bereft of any controversies, Sumitra tai has brought several infrastructure projects to Indore — something that explains the massive mandate that the city gives her.
A formal announcement on this is likely to come anytime soon. The election for the Speaker will take place on June 6 after the MPs are sworn in as members of the lower house of the Parliament.
Names of other experienced legislators like Jharkhand veteran Karia Munda — also an eight-time MP and AIADMK leader is also being tossed around.
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
