New Delhi/Lucknow. The 86th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) started today in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. This three-day national conference was inaugurated by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Smt. Anandiben Patel. This conference is being organized with the aim of strengthening democratic institutions and making the legislative functioning more effective.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's keynote address at the inaugural session

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla gave the keynote address in the inaugural session of the conference. He said that whichever political party the presiding officer belongs to, his conduct should be completely fair, just and above party politics. He emphasized that impartiality should not only be there, but also visible.

Participation of 28 states and 3 union territories

Presiding officers of Legislative Assemblies and 6 Legislative Councils of 28 states, 3 Union Territories of the country are participating in this conference. On this occasion, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Shri Satish Mahana read out the greeting message of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to all the presiding officers.

Decreasing legislative time is a matter of concern for democracy: Om Birla

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha said that the legislature is the most powerful medium to convey the voice and aspirations of the people to the government. In such a situation, the decreasing time for proceedings of state legislatures is a matter of serious concern. He stressed that fixed and adequate time should be ensured for the House, because the longer the House runs, the more serious, meaningful and result-oriented discussion will be possible.

Parliamentary etiquette and discipline necessary in the era of social media

Shri Birla said that in this era of information and communication technology and social media, the public keeps an eye on every conduct of the public representatives. In such a time, adherence to parliamentary decorum, etiquette and discipline has become even more necessary. He said that it is a big responsibility of all the presiding officers to maintain the authenticity of the House amidst the flow of information from all sides.

AIPOC is a strong platform for cooperation between democratic institutions

The Lok Sabha Speaker said that platforms like the All India Presiding Officers Conference enhance cooperation and coordination among democratic institutions. This makes governance more effective and helps in harmonizing policies and welfare schemes across the country.

Responsibility of presiding officers to give opportunities to new and young MLAs

Shri Birla said that it is the responsibility of the Presiding Officers to provide adequate opportunities to all the members in the House, especially the new and young MLAs. With this, the Legislature will remain a powerful and effective platform to raise public problems.

There will be detailed discussion on technology, capacity building and accountability

Many important topics will be discussed in depth during the plenary sessions in the next two days of this three-day conference. These include important issues like use of technology in legislative processes, capacity building of legislators and accountability of the legislature towards the public.

Uttar Pradesh is hosting the conference for the fourth time

This is the fourth time that Uttar Pradesh is hosting this prestigious national conference. Earlier, this conference has been organized in the state in December 1961, October 1985 and January-February 2015.

The conference will conclude on 21 January 2026

The 86th All India Presiding Officers Conference will conclude on 21 January 2026. Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla will address the concluding session. After this he will also address the media and hold a press conference.