NCP MLA Anna Bansode appointed deputy speaker of Maharashtra Assembly

Three term MLA from Pimpri in Pune district, before entering politics, he used to run a paan shop and was elected as a corporator in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 1997 and 2002

Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Pimpri constituency MLA Anna Bansode was on Wednesday elected unopposed as the deputy speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Bansode is the 22nd deputy speaker of the assembly.

Anna Bansode is the 22nd deputy speaker of the assembly. (ANI photo)

Three term MLA from Pimpri in Pune district, before entering politics, he used to run a paan shop. He was elected as a corporator in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 1997 and 2002, also serving as the standing committee chairman.

Bansode was the only nominee in the race for the post after the election for it was announced on Monday.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis moved the motion of the appointment of Bansode as deputy speaker.

“It is the beauty of the Indian Constitution that it gives equal opportunities to all irrespective of the background of people and Bansode’s elevation to this post is testament of it. I would request that the newly appointed deputy speaker treat both the sides equally”, Fadnavis said.

In the 288-member assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 132 seats, Shiv Sena holds 57, and NCP has 41. The coalition, known as Mahayuti, had filed Bansode’s nomination on Tuesday.