Former Tripura Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Biplab Kumar Deb recently took the oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha. The commencement of the 18th Lok Sabha occurred on Monday, and the oath was administered by Lok Sabha pro-tem speaker and BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab on Tuesday.

Biplab Kumar Deb represents the Tripura West Constituency. He was among the remaining MPs who took their oaths after a total of 262 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, did so on Monday during the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took his oath on the same day, displaying a copy of the Constitution in his hand.

Efforts by the BJP’s top leadership to reach a consensus on the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha faced challenges when the INDIA bloc decided to nominate 8-time MP K Suresh for the post. This followed the filing of nomination by BJP’s Kota MP Om Birla for the same position. Notably, Birla previously served as the Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha. This election marks the first time that elections are held for the Speaker of the lower house, as traditionally the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.