Chennai, 12 May (H.S.): TVK legislator J.C.D. Prabhakar was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, while M. Ravi Shankar was chosen unopposed as the Deputy Speaker during the second day of the 17th Assembly session.

The development comes at a politically significant moment as the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led coalition government under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay continues to consolidate its position in the 234-member Assembly after emerging as the single largest formation with 108 seats in the recently concluded elections.

The first session of the newly elected Assembly began on Monday, with all newly elected MLAs taking oath. Chief Minister Vijay, Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, ministers and legislators from various parties formally assumed office in the House during the proceedings.

Ahead of the session, Cholavandan MLA Karuppiah was appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker and was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar.

The election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker drew considerable attention amid shifting political equations and post-election realignments in Tamil Nadu. However, with no opposition candidates entering the fray, both Prabhakar and Ravi Shankar were declared elected unopposed.

Following Assembly tradition, Pro-tem Speaker Karuppiah and Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin escorted Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar to the Speaker’s chair. Leaders from both the treasury and opposition benches, including Chief Minister Vijay and Udhayanidhi Stalin, congratulated the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

During the proceedings, AMMK MLA Kamaraj extended support to the TVK government and expressed confidence that Chief Minister Vijay would provide stable and effective governance over the next five years.

The smooth conduct of the election is being viewed as an important step towards ensuring stability in the functioning of the Assembly amid continuing political developments in the state.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman