V Vaithilingam who was hitherto the Speaker has quit after winning Lok Sabha polls. Deputy speaker VP Sivakolundhu takes over.
Chennai: Deputy speaker of Puducherry assembly VP Sivakolundhu was elected unopposed to the post of Speaker of the territorial assembly on Monday. V Vaithilingam has been elected to the Lok Sabha after winning a seat in the polls that were held on April 18.
The House had a special session to carry out election of the Speaker and adjourned sine die after the election. As soon as the House commenced its business, the government whip RKR Anandaraman announced election of Sivakolundhu as Speaker unopposed.
Sivakolundhu was conducted to the chair of Speaker by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and his cabinet colleagues.
Among those who felicitated him after he assumed office included the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues, the DMK legislature wing leader R Siva and the Independent member from Mahe region Ramachandran.
All the 14 members belonging to the opposition AINRC (seven) AIADMK (four) and the Bharatiya Janata party (three nominated members) however boycotted the proceedings of the House.
They had lodged protest on Sunday against the 'holding of the Speaker election in haste without giving sufficient time for the members to file the nomination' and in keeping with their decision to boycott the proceedings they were absent in the House on Monday.
Replying to the felicitations, the new Speaker said that he would hold scales even and discharge his duty as presiding officer impartially and without giving room for any political considerations.
Sivakolundhu adjourned the House sine die and election of the Speaker was the only agenda of today's business of the House. The chief minister's Parliamentary secretary K Lakshminarayanan was conspicuous by his absence in the House.
An official source told PTI that Vaithilingam presented his letter of resignation from the post of MLA to the Speaker V P Sivakolundhu at the latter's chamber.
Vaithilingam had quit the post of Speaker on March 21 after he was fielded as Congress nominee for the Lok Sabha poll. He emerged victorious in the parliamentary poll by defeating his immediate AINRC rival and doctor-turned- politician K Narayanasamy.
The official source said the resignation of Vaithilingam as an MLA was accepted and was being published in the state gazette.
With his resignation from the post of MLA, the strength of the Congress in territorial assembly has come down to 14 (including Speaker) and the Congress government headed by V Narayanasamy enjoys the support of the three DMK members.
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