Now Reading: G S Patil elected Karnataka Assembly Speaker; BJP, JD(S) boycott
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G S Patil elected Karnataka Assembly Speaker; BJP, JD(S) boycott
Congress MLA G S Patil was elected Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on August 14. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar proposed his name, and Deputy CM G Parameshwara seconded it. Pro-tem…
The Story in Brief
Congress MLA G S Patil was elected Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on August 14. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar proposed his name, and Deputy CM G Parameshwara seconded it. Pro-tem Speaker T B Jayachandra declared Patil elected by voice vote. The BJP and JD(S) boycotted the election, with Leader of Opposition R Ashoka accusing the Congress of undermining House sovereignty by announcing the Speaker's name on party letterhead. Patil, a four-time MLA from Ron, replaces U T Khader. In the Council, Saleem Ahmed was elected Chairperson after Basavaraj Horatti's resignation.
The post fell vacant after U T Khader resigned ahead of his Cabinet induction on June 3. Patil, from the Lingayat community, has chaired the Karnataka Mineral Development Corporation and KREDL. The opposition said it would respect the Speaker's chair once elected. This is the first session after the Shivakumar Cabinet took charge.
The Indian Opinion
The BJP and JD(S) accuse the Congress of subverting the House by naming the Speaker on its letterhead. That complaint has some weight: the Speaker's post is meant to be neutral, not a party handout. But boycotting the election itself does not strengthen that argument. It looks like posturing, not principle. The real test will come when the Speaker rules on a floor test or a privilege motion. Will his decisions favour the ruling party or the House? Watch that closely.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
