Who was the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014–2019)?

Concept

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the lower house of India's Parliament, elected by its members from among themselves at the start of each Lok Sabha. Each Lok Sabha has its own Speaker, so the post is identified by the term of the House (here, the 16th Lok Sabha, constituted after the 2014 general election).

Applying it

The 16th Lok Sabha sat from 2014 to 2019. Its Speaker for the full term was Sumitra Mahajan, who held office from June 2014 to May 2019. She was the second woman to serve as Speaker of the Lok Sabha, after Meira Kumar.

Distinguishing the other names

• Meira Kumar — Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009–2014), the term immediately preceding the 16th, and the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha; her Speakership ended in 2014, before the 16th Lok Sabha began.

• S. M. Krishna — held the offices of External Affairs Minister, Chief Minister of Karnataka and Governor of Maharashtra; he never presided over the Lok Sabha.

• Mohammad Hamid Ansari — Vice President of India (2007–2017) and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house; he was never Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Result

The Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha was Sumitra Mahajan.