HYDERABAD: Medak MLA M Padma Devender Reddy became the first deputy Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly here on Thursday. With opposition parties not fielding any candidate, she was declared elected to the post.
Padma Devender Reddy was accompanied to the Chair by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, J Geetha Reddy (Cong), K Laxman (BJP) and others.
Thanking the House for electing her unanimously, Padma said: ‘’This House should make a beginning to reconstruct Telangana. The sixty-year-old dream of Telangana people was realised. Now, the House should ensure reconstruction of the T-state,” she said.
Congratulating her, Chandrasekhar Rao said that though the Opposition parties wanted the deputy Speaker’s post, they made the move a bit late. By the time the Opposition wanted the post, the TRSLP has decided the candidate and she was preparing to file the papers, Rao said.
Padma Devender Reddy was a practising lawyer in Ranga Reddy district court and also in the High Court.
Padma defeated actor-turned-politician Vijayashanti in Medak constituency in the recent Assembly elections. She won with a huge majority of 12,000 votes in the ZPTC elections held immediately after the formation of TRS.
Several MLAs including J Geetha Reddy, T Harish Rao and DK Aruna congratulated her.