Gandhinagar:

Former Minister Rajendra Trivedi today filed his nomination for the post of speaker of the 14 th Gujarat Assembly as consensus candidate.

CM Vijay Rupani who was present on the occasion has signed as proposer in the nomination form while LoP Paresh Dhanani (also present) has signed as seconder.

Trivedi handed over his nomination form to the senior official of assembly A B Karova who accepted it in the chamber of secretary D M Patel on his behalf as he was out of station.

Apart from CM and LoP, several ministers including Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, BJP president Jeetu Vaghani and others were present on the occasion.

With this the election of the Raopura (Vadodara district) MLA as the speaker was certain. Trivedi was minister for Sports,Youth and Cultural activities department and Pilgrimage Development the last BJP government.

Deputy Speaker Chetan Pandya said that the formality of election of Trivedi as the speaker would be completed in the first sitting of the house on the first day of the budget session on February 19.

‘CM Rupani would propose his name in the house and the LoP will second it. With this the election of Trivedi as speaker would be completed. The address of governor would take place in the second sitting the same day,’ Pandya informed.

Earlier as per the tradition Trivedi resigned from BJP before filing nomination. This is done to ensure that the speaker was not loyal to any party.

A party leader said that the high command has made a regional balance in selection to various top posts.The CM is from Saurashtra region while the DyCM was from North Gujarat and now the speaker would come from central Gujarat,’ he said.

Currently BJP woman MLA from Bhuj Nimaben Acharya was the protem speaker.

DeshGujarat