HYDERABAD: Fifty eightyear- old TRS MLA Sirikonda Madhusudhana Chary, who represents Bhupalapally in Warangal district, was elected unopposed as the first Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly here on Tuesday. His name was proposed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and seconded by J Geetha Reddy of the Congress. Madhusudhana Chary was unanimously elected to the post as all parties in the House supported his candidature. When the Assembly sat for the business on Tuesday, pro-tem Speaker K Jana Reddy declared that Chary was unanimously elected as Speaker. Chief Minister and floor leaders of all other parties accompanied Chary to the Speaker’s chair. Chary was born in October, 1956 and had a master’s degree in English literature. Though, he entered public life in 1982 by joining the Telugu Desam Party, he was later associated with TRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao. Chary, a close associate of KCR even before the later founded the TRS in 2001. The chief minister Rao personally called up floor leaders of all parties and ensured that the first Speaker of Telangana was elected unanimously.‘’I thank floor leaders of all political parties for giving me this opportunity. This House should become a platform for development of Telangana and witness highest values and standards and stand as a role model for the country,” Chary said after his election as the Speaker. Chary assured that he would work beyond politics and hatred and sought the cooperation of all members in this regard. Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said: ‘’Telangana House should become a role model for the entire country. We will also cooperate with the Speaker and work under his direction.’’ All the members who spoke in the House vowed to extend cooperation to the Speaker. ‘’We are ready to cooperate with you,’’ TDP’s Talasani Srinivasa Yadav said. ‘’I believe that the Speaker will protect the interests of Telangana,” K Laxman of the BJP, said. “The role of Sonia Gandhi in realising the dream of T was unforgettable,” said Congress MLA J Geetha Reddy. All those young leaders handpicked by NT Rama Rao like - KCR, Chary, Dayakar Rao and Jana Reddy - were in the key posts in the first Telangana Assembly, said A Revanth Reddy (TDP).
Governor’s Address Today: Governor ESL Narasimhan will address the joint Houses of Legislature on Wednesday at 11 a.m.