The chief whip, Nurul Islam, on Tuesday said that senior lawmaker from the treasury bench would preside over the first sitting of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad on March 12 in the absence of the speaker, deputy speaker and members of the panel of chairmen.

Nurul Islam, a BNP lawmaker from Barguna-2, made the remark in an interview with a private television channel broadcast on Tuesday evening.

He also said that the president will address the parliament in the first session as per the tradition.

He said that since there would be no speaker, deputy speaker or panel chairman at the beginning of the session, the senior member of parliament would temporarily preside over the sitting to elect the speaker and the deputy.

A minister told New Age that Rule 12(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad is likely to apply in this case.

According to the rule, if the speaker, deputy speaker and all members of the panel of chairmen are absent at a sitting of parliament, the secretary of the House will inform members of the situation, and the House will elect one of the members present to preside over the sitting through a motion.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid also said that Rule 12(2) was applicable in this situation.