Nahan legislator Dr Rajeev Bindal was on Wednesday unanimously elected the Speaker of the 13th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
The treasury and opposition benches moved four resolutions proposing Bindal’s name. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur moved the first resolution, which was seconded by Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj.
Leader of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) Mukesh Agnihotri then moved another resolution, which was seconded by former CM and senior most member Virbhadra Singh. Two more resolutions were moved from treasury benches. All four were passed by voice votes.
Born at Solan in 1955, Bindal is a graduate in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery. A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) man since his childhood, Bindal was jailed for six months during emergency. He started his political career in 1995, when he was elected chairman of Municipal Committee, Solan.
Bindal was elected to the state assembly in a by-election for Solan assembly segment in 2000. He was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He shifted to the Nahan assembly segment in Sirmour district after his constituency was reserved in a delimitation exercise, where he again registered a win. He won his fifth term in the assembly in December last year.
{{/usCountry}}Bindal was elected to the state assembly in a by-election for Solan assembly segment in 2000. He was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He shifted to the Nahan assembly segment in Sirmour district after his constituency was reserved in a delimitation exercise, where he again registered a win. He won his fifth term in the assembly in December last year.
{{/usCountry}}Governor Acharya Devvrat will also address the assembly today. He is likely to read the vision document released by BJP before the elections.
Election for the deputy speaker will be held tomorrow. BJP is yet to finalise the name of the deputy speaker, but is likely to take a decision today.
BJP has won 44 seats in the 68-member house, wresting power from Congress, which has 21 members. The house also has two independents and one Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) legislator.