Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday moved the motion in Lok Sabha to elect Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Om Birla as the speaker of the house.

For the first time in decades, Lok Sabha speaker election will take place on Wednesday because the BJP-led NDA government and the Congress-led INDIA opposition couldn't agree on a candidate, reports Hindustan Times. Previously, Lok Sabha Speaker elections have only occurred three times: in 1952, 1967, and 1976.

Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker were chosen by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. This contest will feature BJP's Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan, against Congress' Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term MP from Mavelikara, Kerala, and the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha. Both the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress Party have issued directives to their members, requiring their presence in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday from 11 am until the end of the proceedings.

On the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session, 262 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were sworn in. Today, the remaining 281 new MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, will take their oaths. The election for the Speaker's post is set for Wednesday.