Avinav Verma
Jammu: The Bharatiya Janata Party has made its first clear public claim to the vacant post of Deputy Speaker in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, with J&K BJP president Sat Pal Sharma saying the position should go to the largest opposition party in keeping with legislative convention.
The demand comes nearly two years after the elected government took office and ahead of the Assembly’s sixth session, scheduled to begin on September 21.
Sharma, in remarks quoted by a news agency, said the Deputy Speaker’s post should go to the largest opposition party, citing legislative convention and earlier precedents.
The BJP is currently the largest opposition party in the 90-member Assembly.
The National Conference has responded to the demand by pointing to vacancies in the post in five BJP-ruled states and in the Lok Sabha.
In a post on X on August 18, JKNC Chief Spokesperson and Head of Communications Tanvir Sadiq said Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, all ruled by the BJP, do not have Deputy Speakers.
Tagging the BJP’s J&K unit, Sadiq questioned why the party was raising the issue of the vacant Deputy Speaker’s post in Jammu and Kashmir when the position was also vacant in the five states.
He also pointed to the Lok Sabha, where, according to him, the Deputy Speaker’s post has remained vacant since May 2019, covering the entire term of the 17th Lok Sabha and continuing into the 18th Lok Sabha.
Sadiq said the Deputy Speaker’s post was not a priority for the National Conference and stressed that statehood and issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir were more important.
The Deputy Speaker’s post in the J&K Legislative Assembly has remained vacant since the formation of the elected government in October 2024.
During the first session of the Assembly after the formation of the government, Abdul Rahim Rather was elected Speaker. His election was unanimous after the BJP decided not to field a candidate against him.
The Deputy Speaker’s position, however, was left vacant.Since then, no election has been held for the post.
The BJP’s latest demand is based on the convention and precedent followed by earlier governments in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the PDP-BJP government, National Conference legislator Nazir Ahmad Gurezi served as Deputy Speaker.
During the earlier NC-Congress government, Sartaj Madni of the Peoples Democratic Party held the post.
The BJP is citing these appointments to argue that the Deputy Speaker’s post should be offered to the largest opposition party.
Sharma has said the National Conference government should follow the established practice.
“As per convention, the post of Deputy Speaker is allotted to the opposition,” Sharma was quoted as saying.
He said the Chief Minister should have offered the post to the BJP at the time of the election of the Speaker and urged the government to look into the matter.
Sharma also referred to the period when the BJP was part of the government, saying the post had then been given to the National Conference.
The vacancy has continued through several sessions of the Assembly.
According to sources, the issue had not been pressed strongly by the BJP inside the House, while the government had also not initiated the process for filling the position.
The matter has not figured prominently in Assembly proceedings during the period.
Under Section 19 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Legislative Assembly is required to choose two of its members to serve as Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The provision also requires the Assembly to elect another member when either office falls vacant.
The election of the Deputy Speaker is conducted under the rules governing the Assembly. The Speaker fixes the date for the election, following which members participate in the process prescribed under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House.
The Deputy Speaker can preside over the proceedings of the Assembly in the absence of the Speaker and can perform the Speaker’s functions when the office falls vacant, subject to the applicable provisions.
The BJP has now placed its claim on record ahead of the sixth session.
The National Conference has not indicated whether it intends to initiate the election process or continue with the post remaining vacant.
With the Assembly scheduled to meet from September 21, the Deputy Speaker’s post is likely to be among the issues discussed ahead of or during the session.
