Sumitra Mahajan is the Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha

Sumitra Mahajan is the Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha

>> Sumitra Mahajan, an eight-time BJP member of Parliament, has been elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Ms Mahajan for her unanimous election.

>> Mr Modi, in his first speech in Parliament, said, "There are 315 new members in the House. This means we can leave some old traditions behind and start some good new traditions, this new blood has the opportunity to present a strong democracy before the world."

>> The Prime Minister is one of those first time MPs. He was sworn in yesterday along with the other members of the 16th Lok Sabha. On Monday, the President will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.

>> Ms Mahajan is the first BJP leader to be elected the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

>> Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and leaders of other parties too made short speeches congratulating the new Speaker.

>> Ms Mahajan will be the second woman to occupy the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. The first was her predecessor Meira Kumar.

>> Sumitra Mahajan, 71, is the longest serving woman lawmaker in the Lok Sabha. She was elected last month for an eighth consecutive term from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, defeating her Congress rival by a huge margin of 4.66 lakh votes.