Election for Speaker on same day, Former Finance Min Rather NC’s top choice for Speaker’s post
TDD Correspondent
Srinagar, (TDD): Jammu & Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has summoned the first session of the newly elected Legislative Assembly on November 4. The election for the post of the Speaker has also been scheduled on the same day.
As per an official order issued by the LG Sinha, the first session of the Legislative Assembly has been summoned on Nov 04 at 10.30 AM.
The session will begin with the address of the LG to the House. Under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act-2019, the LG shall address House and inform the causes for its summon at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the Legislative Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year.
Sources also disclosed that LG Manoj Sinha has also scheduled election for the post of the Speaker on the same day at 10:30 am.
“The election for the post of the Speaker has been fixed by LG in exercise of the powers conferred upon him under Rule 9(1) of the Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly,” they said.
Senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather is the ruling party’s top choice for the post of speaker of the House given his vast experience.
With National Conference-led alliance having support of 55 MLAs in 90 member House, Rather is set to be elected as Speaker of the House. There are chances that Rather would be unanimously elected as Speaker of the House as Bharatiya Janta Party, the largest opposition party in the House, is unlikely to field its candidate for the post.
“We have not yet decided whether to field our candidate for the election but we don’t have numbers to get the post,” senior BJP leader Ashok Koul said. There are indications that the NC-led alliance could give deputy speaker’s post to the BJP. Sources in the BJP said that they would downplay the offer and prefer not to get the Dy speaker’s post—TDD)
