The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, which is set to commence on Monday amid a fresh row over the appointment of BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, will witness oath and affirmation of the newly-elected members including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the session, the Opposition is expected to corner the government on various issues including alleged irregularities in the NEET exam and price rise.

President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mahtab as the pro-tem speaker of the Lok Sabha on Monday at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. After that, he will reach the Lok Sabha and commence the proceedings of the House at 11 am. He then will administer the oath to newly-elected members and oversee the proceedings of the House until the new speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected.

The election of the new speaker will be held on June 26. The President will address a joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on June 27.

The session will conclude on July 3.

Meanwhile, the 264th session of the Rajya Sabha will commence on June 27 and will conclude on July 3.

Congress had reacted sharply to the Union government’s decision to appoint the seven-time BJP MP as the Pro-tem speaker over senior-most Dalit MP Kodikkunnil Suresh of Congress, saying the appointment deviates from the traditional practice of appointing the senior-most member.

Meanwhile, defending the appointment of Bhartruhari Mahtab, BJP MP Sambit Patra said the decision was made in accordance with established convention rather than law.

His remark came as a reaction to Congress’s objection that it disrupted a long-standing process. The BJP said, “The President of India recommends the pro-tem speaker through Article 95 of the Constitution of India. It is a long convention that has been going on in this beautiful democracy of India since independence. Now, Congress is trying to disturb this process.”

“Bhartruhari Mahtab is serving as an MP consecutively for the seventh time. The convention says that the MP with the longest period of unbroken service can be appointed as pro-tem speaker. “So, in this 18th Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab qualifies to become the pro-tem Speaker,” he said.

He further said, “As far as Congress MP K Suresh is concerned, he has served as an MP eight times non-consecutively. It is the 4th consecutive term of K Suresh. However, it is the 7th consecutive term of Bhartruhari Mahtab. So, there has been no breach of convention.”

Earlier on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the appointment of Mahtab has been done as per the “rules” and said that Congress should not politicise the issue. “We all want the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha to run peacefully. This is also the wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is a special session. There is no business transaction in this special session,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, the parliamentary affairs minister announced that the President had appointed the BJP MP as pro-tem speaker.

President Murmu also appointed Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Sudip Bandyopadhyay to assist the speaker pro-tem in the oath-taking of the newly elected members.