Question

Who was the first speaker of the Lok Sabha?
A. Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar
B. P. Upendra
C. Anantha Sayanam Ayyanagar
D. Hukam Singh

Answer 1

Hint: On 17th April 1952, the first Lok Sabha was constituted after India's first general election. The first speaker of the Lok Sabha was an independence activist and was the President of the Central Legislative Assembly from 1946 to 1947.

Complete Answer: The presiding officer of Lok Sabha is the speaker. He is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha from among themselves. The Speaker presides over the meeting with the House; maintains order in the House and conducts the business of the House in accordance with the Rules of the House.

The speaker is elected for a period of 5 years. However, she continues in office until a new speaker is elected by the new house. Even, when the house has dissolved the speaker does not vacate his office. The Speaker has to vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the House. He can also be elected to this office for a second term. He can resign his office at any time. He can also be removed from his office by a resolution passed by a majority of all members of the Lok Sabha. The Speaker’s salary and allowances are determined by the Parliament and these are charges on the Consolidated Fund of India.

The first speaker of the Lok Sabha was Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar and was in office from 1952 to 1956. He joined the Indian Independence Movement and was appointed as the secretary of the Gujarat Provincial Congress Committee for a short period of time.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: The Constitution also provides for the office of the Deputy Speaker. He too is the member of the House and is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha from among themselves. The Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the speaker when the latter is absent or while the office of the speaker is vacant.