DHARAMSALA: Senior BJP leader Rajiv Bindal was unanimously elected the speaker of the 13th Himachal Pradesh Assembly today.
Four resolutions proposing his name were made. Protem Speaker Romesh Dhawala moved the resolution proposed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and seconded by Education Minister Suresh Bharadwaj, was which was adopted by the House and Bindal was declared as Speaker.
The other resolutions with Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Mohinder Singh and, Health and Family Welfare Minister Vipin Singh Parmar were not required to be moved.
Thakur and Agnihotri escorted Bindal to the podium and congratulated him and assured full cooperation.
A five-time MLA, Bindal was elected to the Assembly for the first time in a by-election from Solan in 2000 and retained the seat in 2003 and 2007. After delimitation, he shifted to Nahan in 2012 and won it and retained the seat in 2017 Assembly polls.
Bindal was also a Cabinet minister in the BJP government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal from 2007 to 2012.