Meira Kumar emerging as consensus LS Speaker

New Delhi, June 1 (PTI) Meira Kumar was Monday emerging
as a consensus candidate of both India's ruling and opposition
parties for Lok Sabha Speakership and they will file
nominations in favour of the senior Congress leader Tuesday.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is also UPA
chairperson, is expected to propose Kumar's name in the
nomination paper which is likely to be seconded by Leader of
the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee when the process of electing
the Speaker will be set in motion Tuesday.

Elections for the post of Speaker, if required, will
be held on Wednesday.

Parliament sources said Kumar's candidature is likely
to get an overwhelming backing of the UPA as also those from
the NDA in the election as she would be the first woman
and Dalit leader to occupy the post.

Though the government is yet to make a formal
announcement, 64-year-old Kumar, who resigned as Union
Minister for Water Resources Sunday, Monday said she has
been nominated for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker by the UPA.

"Yes I have resigned (from the post of the Union Water
Resources Minister). UPA has nominated me for the post of (Lok
Sabha) Speaker," the daughter of former deputy premier
Jagjivan Ram and a five-time MP told reporters here.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal had a
meeting with the Leader of Opposition L K Advani. When asked
whether his party would stake claim for Deputy Speakership,
Advani merely said a meeting of the BJP's Parliamentary Board
is scheduled for Tuesday which would take a decision.

However, BJP sources said the party will nominate a
candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker with the names of
Karia Munda and Sripad Naik doing the rounds. PTI SPG
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PM hopes for smooth running of Parliament; 275 MPs take oath

New Delhi, June 1 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Monday expressed the hope that a "new beginning" will be
made and Parliament will be allowed to run smoothly, as about
275 members took oath on the first day of the 15th Lok Sabha.

"We will make a new beginning and Parliament will be
allowed to run smoothly -- that dialogue, discussion and
reason will prevail in our proceedings. We will give all due
respect to Opposition in discharging their responsibility,"
Singh said as the first session of the new Lok Sabha began.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, BJP leader L K Advani
and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were the first three leaders
to take the oath, followed by members of the Union Council of
Ministers.

Singh, who is the leader of the Rajya Sabha as well as
the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), made the remarks
outside Parliament just before the first sitting of the
newly-constituted House, with the din and disruption of the
previous Lok Sabha apparently weighing heavily on his mind.

The leaders were administered the oath by seniormost
member of the new Lok Sabha Manikrao Gavit, who was nominated
as the Protem Speaker by the President Pratibha Patil to
preside over the proceedings of the House. (MORE) PTI CS
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35 killed, 10 injured as bus falls on dry Chambal bed

Jaipur, June 1 (PTI) Thirty-five passengers were
killed and 10 injured when a private bus carrying them fell on
the dry bed of Chambal river from a bridge connecting
India's northern state Rajasthan and central state Madhya
Pradesh in Dholpur district, a top official said.

Twenty-seven bodies were sent to Morena and eight to
Dholpur Government hospital, Dholpur Collector Pooran Chand
Kishan told PTI over phone.

Six of the injured were admitted to the Dholpur
hospital, while two serious cases one referred to the Sawai
Man Singh Hospital here, Kishan said.

The bus, with a Madhya Pradesh registration number,
left the Dholpur bus stand for Murena with passengers from
both states and rolled 125 ft down after hitting a rallying,
Kishan said.

The mishap took place on the Madhya Pradesh side
around 1625 hours immediately after the bus left Dholpur.

Since the site bridge connects Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan, a rescue team from Rajasthan took out the bodies,
he said.

Identification of bodies and post mortem were underway
at the Dholpur government hospital, said Kishan who supervised
the rescue operations. PTI YG
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