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Who was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
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Answer: Option C — G.V. Mavalankar
Detailed Solution
Mavalankar. Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar (1888-1956), popularly called "Dadasaheb", was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was elected on 15 May 1952, after the first general elections, and served until his death on 27 February 1956.
Mavalankar was a lawyer from Ahmedabad and a freedom fighter associated with Mahatma Gandhi. He had earlier been the President of the Central Legislative Assembly (1946-47) and the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly (Legislative), the body that acted as India's Parliament from 1947 to 1952. He laid down many of the rules, conventions and traditions of the Lok Sabha that are followed even today, and Jawaharlal Nehru called him the "Father of the Lok Sabha".
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. Under Article 93, the Lok Sabha chooses two of its members to be the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. The Speaker:
Conducts the business of the House and maintains order and decorum.
Decides whether a bill is a Money Bill; this decision is final (Article 110).
Presides over joint sittings of both Houses of Parliament (Article 108).
Decides questions of disqualification of members on the ground of defection under the Tenth Schedule.
Has a casting vote in case of a tie, but does not vote in the first instance.
Some notable Speakers:
M.A. Ayyangar: the second Speaker (1956-62) and the first Deputy Speaker.
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy: the only Speaker who later became President of India.
Meira Kumar (2009-14): the first woman Speaker.
G.M.C. Balayogi: the first Dalit Speaker.
Om Birla: elected Speaker in 2019 and re-elected in 2024 for the 18th Lok Sabha.
Why not the other options?
M.A. Ayyangar was the second Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker.
Hukam Singh was the third Speaker (1962-67).
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was Speaker in 1967-69 and 1977, and later President.
Quick tip
Remember: First Lok Sabha Speaker = G.V. Mavalankar (1952); first woman = Meira Kumar; Speaker who became President = Neelam Sanjiva Reddy; current = Om Birla (2019, 2024).
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.