Bangalore: Kagodu unanimously elected Karnataka Assembly Speaker
 
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
 
Bangalore, May 31: Senior Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa, who was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday, said he would strive his best to sensibly discharge responsibilities thrust on him and uphold the dignity of the House.

Kagodu Thimmappa  is the 19th Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly.

Thanking members for unanimously electing him as the Speaker, the 82-year-old veteran leader from Sagar Assembly constitueny in Shimoga said he would do his best to ensure that equal opportunities were given to both ruling and the opposition parties to debate on issues of public importance.

The Speaker appealed to all members to chalk out programmes to receive appreciation from the people of the State and sought the support and cooperation of all members.

Pointing out that there were 67 first-time members, he said steps would be taken to hold a training programme for them to understand the functioning of the Assembly.
 

3 Ex-CMs, 3 Ex-Speakers in House
 
Thimmppa said he was privileged to have a large number of experienced legislators, who have been elected more than two to five and even six-seven times, especially to have three former chief ministers in Jagadish Shettar, B S Yeddyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy besides three former speakers in K G Bopaiah, Jagadish Shettar and Ramesh Kumar.

"With the presence of such a galaxy of experienced and talented persons as members, the debates in the house would certainly be of high standards,” he said urging all members to ensure that the dignity and decorum of the House was always maintained.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra, Leader of Opposition H D Kumaraswamy, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Ministers H K Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, former Ministers B Sriramulu (BSR Congress), Ramesh Kumar, Basavaraj Rayaraddi (both Congress), B R Patil (KJP), Madhu Bangarappa, H D Revanna (both JD-S), and several other members spoke and congratulated the new Speaker.
 

BJP Member Asked to Leave House
 
Earlier in the day, the House witnessed the unpleasant scene of the Pro tem Speaker Malikayya V Guttedar asking the newly elected BJP member R Jagadish Kumar (Hebbal) to leave the House when he declined to take oath around 11.30 am stating that "the time was not auspicious."

The BJP member, who had served as the private secretary to former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, told the Chair that he would take oath as member of the House after 12 noon.

“If you are not taking oath now, then you are not eligible to sit in the House,” Guttedar told Kumar and asked him to leave the House.

Following Guttedar’s instruction, Kumar left the House.

When State Legislative Assembly Secretary Om Prakash called out Kumar’s name again to take oath, the latter was not present in the House.

The Pro-Tem Speaker then commenced the process of election to the post of the Speaker.

Earlier, five newly elected candidates took oath as members of the 14th Legislative Assembly on Friday.

With this, 221 elected members took oath in the first two days of the session.

Members who took oath are: Fairoz Nuruddin Saith of the Congress (Belgaum North), BSR Congress president B Sriramulu (Bellary), B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet), H S Prakash (Hassan), both JD (S) and T H Suresh Babu of BSR Congress (Kampli).

Former Minister and Congress member D K Shivakumar failed to attend the session for the third day on Friday.

Jagadish Kumar and Shivakumar are expected to take oath on Monday.
 

JD(S) is Principal Opposition Party, HDK Opposition Leader
 
Later, Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa announced that JD(S) is the principal Opposition in the House and H D Kumaraswamy is Leader of the Opposition as both BJP and JD(S) secured 40 each seats in the House, the status of the principal Opposition was decided based on the total votes bagged by the JD(S).

Thimmappa said the JD(S) secured 25,23,283 votes while the BJP bagged 21,27,062 votes in the Assembly elections.

Based on the letters given by party presidents, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is the leader of the BJP legislature party while former minister R Ashok is his deputy.

Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is the leader of the legislature party of the KJP while B R Patil is the deputy leader, the Speaker said.