First session of 18th Lok Sabha session to begin today, pro tem Speaker, new MPs to take oath

The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will commence on June 24, with President Murmu administering the oath to BJP's Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker, followed by newly elected MPs taking oath. The Opposition is also expected to challenge the PM Modi-led NDA government on various fronts. 

The session is the first to be held since the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Following the first session, the Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected on June 26 and President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses on June 27.

The Opposition, on the other hand, is most likely to bring up issues which focus on alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and NET exams, the relocation of statues within the Parliament building complex, and the government's decision to appoint seven-term BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker.

It may also be mentioned that the 264th Session of the Rajya Sabha will begin on June 27, while the joint session will conclude on July 3, resuming for the monsoon sitting on July 22. 

The session will begin with President Murmu administering the oath to BJP's Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro tem Speaker who will then call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take oath as a member of the House.

INDIA bloc MPs have planned a symbolic protest over the relocation of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi to a new area called Prerna Sthal. According to media reports, some MPs will hold copies of the Constitution of India and walk down to the Parliament building.