<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India . The speaker is elected in the very first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general elections . Serving for a term of five years, the Speaker chosen from amongst the members of the Lok Sabha, and is by convention a member of the ruling party or alliance . </P> <P> The current speaker is Sumitra Mahajan of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who is presiding over the 16th Lok Sabha . She is the second woman to hold the office, after her immediate predecessor Meira Kumar . </P> <P> The Speaker of the Lok Sabha conducts the business in house; and decides whether a bill is a money bill or not . They maintain discipline and decorum in the house and can punish a member for their unruly behavior by suspending them . They also permit the moving of various kinds of motions and resolutions such as a motion of no confidence, motion of adjournment, motion of censure and calling attention notice as per the rules . The Speaker decides on the agenda to be taken up for discussion during the meeting . The date of election of the speaker is fixed by the President . Further, all comments and speeches made by members of the House are addressed to the speaker . The speaker also presides over the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament . The counterpart of the Speaker in the Rajya Sabha is the Chairman, who is the Vice President of India . In the warrant of precedence, the speaker of Lok Sabha comes next only to The Deputy Prime Minister of India . Speaker has the sixth rank in the political executive of India. The speaker is answerable to the house . Both the speaker and deputy speaker may be removed by a resolution passed by the majority of the members . </P>

Who is the speaker of the lok sabha