Chhattisgarh assembly gets new speaker

Dharamlal Kaushik, a legislator of Chhattisgarh's ruling BJP, was elected as the speaker of the state assembly on Monday, the maiden sitting of the newly-elected third assembly.

Dharamlal Kaushik, a legislator of Chhattisgarh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was elected as the speaker of the state assembly on Monday, the maiden sitting of the newly-elected third assembly.

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Kaushik, an influential leader of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), won the Bilha assembly seat in Bilaspur district in the November assembly polls. He was elected speaker unopposed amid desk-thumping and cheers by legislators of even the opposition Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The BJP won 50 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the Congress and the BSP bagged 38 and two seats, respectively, in the two-phased assembly polls held November 14 and 20. The election results were declared December 8.

Chief Minister Raman Singh and leader of the opposition Ravindra Chaubey hailed the election of Kaushik as speaker and both of them accompanied him to the speaker's chair.