Bihar is going to host the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) on January 20 and 21, the theme of which is: “75th anniversary of the Constitution: The contribution of the Parliament and state legislatures in strengthening the constitutional values.”

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will preside over it, while Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh will also be present. Over 264 parliamentarians, Assembly speakers, deputy speakers, legislators and officials from all over the country will attend the conference.

Bihar is organising AIPOC after 43 years. It had last hosted the event in 1982 and before that in 1964.

“There is a tradition in parliamentary democracy that the Parliament and all legislatures stay in touch with each other, study their working rules and processes, and adopt the better ones. AIPOC is held every year with this objective,” Bihar Legislative Assembly speaker Nand Kishore Yadav said.

Nand Kishore added that the conference is organised jointly by the Lok Sabha and the host state. Though the inaugural and closing sessions would be open to the public, the discussion sessions and confabulations would be closed door ones, with only the presiding officers of legislative bodies attending it.

Bihar Legislative Council chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh and Assembly deputy speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav were also present on the occasion.

The entire two-day event would be held at the state Legislative Assembly premises.

The first conference of the presiding officers was held at Shimla in 1921.