Gandhinagar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Surat West Assembly constituency, Purnesh Modi, was today elected as the new Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. Modi was elected on the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly through a voice vote, defeating Congress MLA from Danilimda, Shailesh Parmar.

With the BJP commanding a strong majority of 162 seats in the 182-member House, Modi’s election was effectively secured. Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary formally announced the result. The position had been vacant since December, when former Deputy Speaker Jethabhai Bharwad stepped down citing scheduling constraints and other responsibilities.

A three-time MLA representing Surat West, Modi first entered the Assembly through a by-election in 2013 and retained the seat in both the 2017 and 2022 elections. He also drew national attention in 2019 in connection with a defamation case involving Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Budget for 2026–27 is scheduled to be presented on February 18, and the session will continue until March 25. DeshGujarat