New Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla: Will work in an unbiased manner

Unanimously elected as Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla on Wednesday said he would perform his duties without bias and not take sides.

Talking to reporters, he said his appointment to the post came with its own fair share of responsibilities which he would try to fulfill in the days to come.

"Will have to take forward everyone together while keeping the integrity of the House intact, it is very important to do so and that is what I will try to do in the days ahead," Birla said.

He assured parties that he would work in an "unbiased" fashion without taking any sides while serving in the Lok Sabha.

"I will act and present myself in an unbiased manner as required from the position I have been assigned," Birla said.

Earlier, NDA candidate Birla was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Birla's name was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was supported by all major Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, and BJD. The YSRCP and TDP also supported Birla's candidature.

Soon after Birla's appointment, Prime Minister Modi, Leader of the Congress party Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and a number of other opposition leaders escorted Birla to the Speaker's chair.

"It is a matter of great pride for the House and we all congratulate Om Birla on being unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Many MPs know Birla well. He has served in the state of Rajasthan also," Prime Minister Modi said.

The unopposed election of Birla, a two-time BJP MP from Kota in Rajasthan, was a smooth affair, however, it broke the record of women holding the post for the past 10 years.

In 2009, Meira Kumar became the first woman to be elected to the post during the UPA-2, while the NDA followed suit by nominating Sumitra Mahajan in 2014.

An agriculturist and social worker, the low-profile leader, Birla, has been active in politics from his student days and served as state unit president of the Bhartiya Yuva Morcha in 1991 and as vice-president at the national level.

Birla was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Kota where he defeated Congress' Ramnarain Meena by over 2.5 lakh votes. He was elected to the last Lok Sabha from the same seat.

Born on 23 November 1962, Om Birla completed his Masters in Commerce from Government Commerce College, Kota and the Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer.

In 2003, he defeated Shanti Dhariwal, of the Congress by a margin of 10,101 votes, to win his first assembly election from Kota South. Subsequently, he won the Assembly polls in 2008 and 2013.Birla was also the Parliamentary Secretary (MoS rank) in the Vasundhara Raje government from 2003 to 2008.

In the 16th Lok Sabha, Birla was a member of the Standing Committee on Energy in Parliament and member of Committee on Petitions and Consultative Committee for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

-ANI