Accompanied by Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa and other top leaders, Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Karnataka Vishweshwar Hedge on Tuesday filed his nomination for the post of Assembly Speaker. Hedge will be replacing KR Ramesh Kumar who resigned from the post on Monday after BJP won Confidence motion in the Assembly.
He is likely to get elected to the post tomorrow.
Vishweshwar Hedge is a six-time legislator from Sirsi Assembly seat and served as state education minister. He began his political career with BJP’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, and first entered the Karnataka Assembly in 1994 from Ankola Assembly seat.
He retained the same seat till 2008, however, after delimitation in 2008. He shifted to Sirsi Assembly Seat and entered the Karnataka Assembly thrice from there – 2008, 2012 and 2017.
Earlier on Monday, Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar tendered his resignation from the post after holding Confidence motion moved by the new Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, which was passed smoothly by voice vote.
Ramesh Kumar, a congressman, is a six-term member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Srinivaspur assembly constituency in Kolar district. He held the portfolio of Health and Family Welfare Ministry during Siddaramaiah’s previous government.
KR Ramesh Kumar had a very busy and hectic last month in the office with many legislators tendering their resignation and pushing the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in minority.
Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had on Sunday disqualified 14 more rebels from Karnataka Assembly under Anti-Defection Law.
The disqualification of 14 more rebels on Sunday by speaker, 11 from Congress and 3 from Janata Dal (Secular) from the House, reduced the majority mark making it a cakewalk for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to prove its majority.
BJP has currently 105 MLAs in the House while it also has support from some independent lawmakers.
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