CPI(M) has no proposal for Speaker's post: Buddhadev
CPI(M) politburo member Buddhadev Bhattacharjee has said that his party has no proposal to field Somnath Chatterjee for the post of Speaker.
West Bengal Chief Minister and CPI(M) politburo member Buddhadev Bhattacharjee on Tuesday said his party has no proposal to field senior leader Somnath Chatterjee for the post of Speaker of the newly-constituted 14th Lok Sabha.
"We have no proposal in this regard and it was not discussed at our politburo meeting," Bhattacharjee told reporters when asked if his party had any proposal to elect senior CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee to be the new Speaker of the lower house.
Bhattacharjee's comment came in the wake of widespread media reports that Chatterjee was tipped to be the new Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Earlier in New Delhi, Somnath Chatterjee, after he was elected as the party's Parliamentary Party leader, said that nothing was known so far, "though I have seen media reports in this regard".
Pressed further, he said while a section of the party favours this, another section feels it would be difficult to run the party affairs in Parliament if he became the Speaker. However, "the party will have to take a final decision".
Asked about reports that he would be the pro-tem Speaker to deliver the oath of affirmation to the newly-elected members, Chatterjee quipped "that may be because of my old age".