Meira nominated for post of LS Speaker

New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) Five-term Lok Sabha MP Meira Kumar
Tuesday became the consensus candidate of the ruling UPA and
the opposition BJP for the post of India's Lok Sabha Speaker.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee led a UPA delegation
to submit Kumar's nomination papers to Lok Sabha Secretary
General P D T Achary for the election to the Speaker's post
scheduled to be held Wednesday.

64-year-old Kumar, who will be the first woman to head
the Lok Sabha, is expected to be elected unopposed as
Mukherjee submitted 13 sets of nomination papers which
included a set signed by Leader of the Opposition L K Advani
and seconded by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

"We have filed 13 sets of nomination papers. The first
set was signed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and I have
seconded it," Mukherjee told reporters at Parliament House.

He said the Leader of the Opposition L K Advani had also
signed a set of nomination papers.

"It is a historic moment for women," Kumar said.

Among others who filed nomination papers included Sharad
Pawar and Praful Patel of NCP, Mulayam Singh Yadav and
Shailendra Singh Yadav of SP, Arjun Charan Sethi and B Mahtab
of BJD, Lalu Prasad, Farooq Abdullah and E Ahamed.

Besides Meira Kumar, Pawar, Abdullah, T R Baalu, P K
Bansal, V Narayansamy were present when the nomination papers
were submitted. PTI