Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla paid floral tributes to former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Bali Ram Bhagat on his birth anniversary on October 7, 2026. The ceremony took place at Bhagat's portrait in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, with Secretary-General of Lok Sabha Shri Utpal Kumar Singh also paying respects.
Shri Bali Ram Bhagat was a veteran freedom fighter and prominent parliamentary figure who served as Speaker of the Fifth Lok Sabha, elected to the position on January 5, 1976. His parliamentary career spanned nearly four decades, serving as a Member of the Provisional Parliament and subsequently the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Lok Sabhas, representing the House seven times in total.
Beyond his parliamentary role, Bhagat held multiple Union Minister portfolios including Finance, Planning, Defence, External Affairs, Foreign Trade and Supply, Steel and Heavy Engineering. He later served as Governor of Himachal Pradesh from February 1993 for four months and as Governor of Rajasthan from June 30, 1993, until May 1, 1998. He passed away in New Delhi on January 2, 2011.
Bhagat's tenure as Speaker was marked by his commitment to impartiality and procedural integrity, emphasizing that the Speaker serves as the servant of the House and must maintain relationships with all sections equally. His parliamentary style demonstrated deep understanding of procedures, restraint, and firm commitment to maintaining order. Significant institutional developments during his speakership included the first conference of the Committee of Chairmen on Government Assurances in March 1976 and the establishment of the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), now known as BPST, which remains an important component of the Lok Sabha Secretariat for capacity building of representatives and parliamentary staff.