Speaker Pro Tem

The Speaker Pro Tem is a temporary presiding officer of the Lok Sabha, appointed to bridge the short gap between the dissolution of one Lok Sabha's Speakership and the election of a new Speaker after general elections. This office exists only for a few days and is created purely to keep the constitutional machinery of the House running during that transition.

Why the Office Is Needed

The Speaker of the outgoing Lok Sabha vacates office immediately before the first meeting of the newly-elected Lok Sabha. At that point, the House has no Speaker, yet its first sitting must still proceed — new members have to take their oath and a new Speaker has to be elected. To fill this gap, the President appoints a member of the newly-elected Lok Sabha as the Speaker Pro Tem, so that the House has someone to preside from its very first sitting.

Appointment and Who Is Chosen

The appointment is made by the President, and it is usually the seniormost member of the newly-elected House who is selected for the role. The President personally administers the oath of office to the Speaker Pro Tem before the member takes up the position, formally investing that member with the authority to act.

Powers and Duties

Once appointed and sworn in, the Speaker Pro Tem holds all the powers of a regular Speaker while in that role. The office carries two principal responsibilities:

• Presiding over the first sitting of the newly-elected Lok Sabha.
• Administering the oath to the newly elected members of the House.

Beyond this, the Speaker Pro Tem's central function is to enable the House to proceed to the election of its new, regular Speaker — conducting the sitting at which that election is held.

A Temporary, Self-Terminating Office

The office of Speaker Pro Tem is deliberately short-lived. As soon as the House elects its new Speaker, the office of Speaker Pro Tem ceases to exist — there is no formal resignation or removal process; the role simply ends once its purpose is fulfilled. In practice, this means the office typically lasts only a matter of days.

An illustrative instance is from the 13th Lok Sabha: Indrajit Gupta was appointed Speaker Pro Tem on 20 October 1999 and held the position only until 22 October 1999, when G.M.C. Balayogi was elected as the new Speaker — a tenure of just two days.

Distinguishing This from an Ordinary Vacancy in the Speaker's Office

The Speaker Pro Tem situation should not be confused with what happens if the Speaker's or Deputy Speaker's office falls vacant during the normal life of a Lok Sabha (for instance, by death, resignation, or removal). In that different situation, a member of the panel of chairpersons is not authorised to preside over the House; instead, the Speaker's duties are performed by such member of the House as the President may appoint for the purpose, until fresh elections are held as soon as possible to fill the vacant post. Both scenarios involve a presidential appointee stepping in temporarily, but they arise from different triggers — one from the constitutional transition between Lok Sabhas, the other from a mid-term vacancy.

Significance

The Speaker Pro Tem mechanism ensures constitutional continuity at a structurally awkward moment: the old Speaker is gone, the new one has not yet been chosen, yet the House must still convene, swear in its members, and organise itself. By vesting full Speaker-like authority in a single senior, presidentially-appointed member for this brief window, the Constitution avoids any gap in the presiding authority of the Lok Sabha.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims: Frequently tested facts — who appoints the Speaker Pro Tem (the President), who administers the oath to them (the President), the convention of appointing the seniormost member, and the two core duties (administering oath to new members, presiding over election of the new Speaker).

Mains: Useful for questions on the continuity of parliamentary institutions during the transition between Lok Sabhas, and on the constitutional design that avoids a leadership vacuum in the House.

FAQ

Who appoints the Speaker Pro Tem? The President of India appoints a member of the newly-elected Lok Sabha as the Speaker Pro Tem.

Who is usually chosen for this role? By convention, the seniormost member of the newly-elected Lok Sabha is selected.

What powers does the Speaker Pro Tem have? All the powers of the regular Speaker, for the limited duration of the office.

What are the Speaker Pro Tem's main duties? Administering the oath to newly elected members and presiding over the sitting at which the House elects its new Speaker.

When does the office of Speaker Pro Tem end? Automatically, as soon as the House elects its new, regular Speaker — there is no separate resignation.

Quick Revision

• Speaker Pro Tem is appointed by the President from among members of the newly-elected Lok Sabha.
• Usually the seniormost member is chosen.
• The President administers the oath to the Speaker Pro Tem.
• Duties: administer oath to new members; preside over election of the new Speaker.
• Office ceases the moment a new Speaker is elected — a temporary office lasting only days.
• Example: Indrajit Gupta was Speaker Pro Tem from 20–22 October 1999 in the 13th Lok Sabha.

Sources

• Constitution of India — provisions on the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, legislative.gov.in
• Lok Sabha Secretariat records on the appointment of Speaker Pro Tem in successive Lok Sabhas

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

• M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
• D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
• The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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