BENGALURU: Congress, which won the Assembly polls with a thumping majority of 135 seats, late on Monday night decided to make former minister UT Khader as Assembly Speaker. The deadline to file the nomination for the Speaker’s post is Tuesday noon.
Senior leader RV Deshpande acted as pro tem Speaker and administered the oath to 182 of the 224 MLAs on the first day of the three-day Assembly session on Monday.
He was asked to take up the coveted post, but he refused, citing health issues. The party was considering veteran leader and former minister HK Patil. Aland MLA BR Patil, who is close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, was also approached.
AICC general secretary, Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala arrived in Bengaluru on Monday evening, and helped the state party leadership to arrive at the decision, sources said.
The party leadership tried to convince former ministers TB Jayachandra and Basavaraja Rayareddy, MLAs KN Rajanna of Madhugiri and NY Gopalakrishna of Molakalmuru, but failed. Most senior MLAs are waiting for cabinet berths as the expansion is likely to happen after the three-day legislature session concludes on Wednesday.
Siddu, DKS for Delhi
Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar are likely to go to New Delhi on or after Thursday to get the nod from the Congress high command to fill the remaining 24 ministerial
berths and also allot portfolios, sources said.