Gandhinagar (The Hawk): On Tuesday, the Gujarat Assembly unanimously chose Jethabhai Bharwad of the Shehra party to serve as Deputy Speaker and BJP MLA Shankar Chaudhary as Speaker.
Electing Chaudhary as Speaker was proposed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, seconded by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Rishikesh Patel, and put to a vote. He was unanimously chosen after the Congress endorsed the move.
Motion to elect Jethabhai Bharwad as Deputy Speaker was made by Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, supported by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rishkesh Patel, and put to a vote. Congress concurred with this plan.
Mavji Desai (Dhanera seat), Dhavalsinh Zala (Bayad), and Dharmednrasinh Vaghela (Vaghodia), three independent MLAs, met with Governor Acharya Devvrat on Tuesday to express their support for the government.
The single-day session will have two sittings, the first of which will see the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The governor will address the House during the second session.
Congress omitted to designate a leader for its parliamentary party. Instead of electing one of the 17 MLAs at the Congress Legislative Party meeting last Sunday in the presence of observer B.K. Hariprasad, the MLAs voted a resolution allowing the party high command to choose the leader. The high command has not yet decided on a name.
(Inputs from Agencies)