Senior Congress MLA Gaddam Prasad Kumar.
Credit: X/@PrasadKumarG999
Telangana assembly gets first Dailt speaker
Hyderabad: Vikarabad MLA Gaddam, Prasad Kumar was unanimously elected as Telangana's assembly speaker on Thursday. Opposition BRS supported Prasad Kumar as well.
Elected unopposed, Kumar was backed by Congress, BRS and AIMIM. Prior to this, S Madhusudana Chary was the Speaker between 2014 and 2018 and from then until now, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy had served the position, both belonging to BRS and are non Dalits.
IT and state legislative minister Duddila Sridhar Babu along with health minister Damaodar Raja Narasimha approached BRSLP leader, K Chandrshekar Rao seeking support for the unanimous election of Prasad Kumar as the Assembly Speaker. While agreeing to the Congress government's proposal, BRS had decided to support the candidature of Prasad.
As there were no other nominations, Akbaruddin Owaisi had announced that Prasad Kumar has been elected as Telangana assembly speaker.
“Thanks to all who contributed to carry forward a good tradition in the House. I wish this tradition continues in the House. I congratulate Prasad for the election as the speaker. I'm confident that he can efficiently handle the responsibility of coordinating us all. It is with his efforts that a medical college is coming up in Vikarabad. He took the initiative to widen the road from APPA Junction to Vikarabad Manneguda Square,” said chief minister A Revanth Reddy.
Meanwhile, MLAs like BRS working president, K T Rama Rao, and few other Congress members who had missed to take oath on December 10 had completed the task on Thursday in the presence of pro tem speaker Akbaruddin Owais.
the BJP MLAs on Thursday took oath in the presence of the new speaker Prasad Kumar. Earlier they refused to take oath in the presence of pro tem speaker, Akabaruddin Owaisi citing he was nominated by Congress government against the laid down legislative norms and procedures.
Hyderabad: Ruling Congress legislator Gaddam Prasad Kumar was elected unanimously as Speaker of the Telangana Assembly, Pro-Tem Speaker Akbaruddin Owaisi announced on Thursday.
Kumar had earlier filed the nomination for the post.
"...Shri Gaddam Prasad Kumar (is) elected unanimously to the office of the Speaker," Owaisi declared, congratulating the former, the third Speaker of Telangana after the state was formed in 2014.
After the Pro-Tem Speaker's announcement, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his deputy Bhatti Vikramarka and BRS MLA KT Rama Rao conducted him to the Speaker's chair.
All the members in the House went to the chair and congratulated the new Speaker.
Revanth Reddy, speaking after Kumar assumed charge, thanked all the parties for supporting his candidature.
Except BJP, all other parties in the Assembly---the BRS, AIMIM and the CPI, supported Prasad Kumar's candidature.
Before adjourning the session for the day, Prasad Kumar informed the House that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan will address the joint sitting of both Assembly and Council tomorrow.
The Congress won 64 seats in the recently concluded Assembly elections and its pre-poll ally CPI got 1 seat. The BRS bagged 39 seats while its "friendly party" AIMIM was victorious in seven seats. The BJP secured eight seats.
(With PTI inputs)