Thiruvananthapuram, 22 May (H.S.) :Senior Congress leader and Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was on Friday elected as the Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly, formally assuming one of the highest constitutional positions in the state legislature amid the Congress-led UDF's commanding majority in the House.
Radhakrishnan secured an overwhelming victory in the election, polling 101 votes, while Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate and former minister A.C. Moideen received 35 votes. BJP candidate B.B. Gopakumar, who contested on behalf of the NDA, received three votes. The contest also marked a milestone for the BJP, as it was the first time the party had fielded a candidate for the Speaker's election in the Kerala Assembly.
Following the declaration of results, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan escorted Radhakrishnan to the Speaker's chair in keeping with Assembly tradition. Soon after assuming office, the newly elected Speaker invited Chief Minister Satheesan to address the House.
The election process was supervised by Pro-tem Speaker G. Sudhakaran, who oversaw the polling and counting procedures. Members cast their votes through ballot papers at a specially arranged booth near the Speaker's seat, marking their preference with a multiplication symbol before depositing the ballots into a box placed on the Speaker's table. Counting was conducted under the supervision of the Assembly Secretary in the presence of polling agents from all three political fronts.
The House composition strongly favoured the ruling alliance, with the Assembly currently comprising 102 UDF members, 35 LDF legislators, and three NDA MLAs.
A veteran Congress leader with decades of organisational and legislative experience, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan began his political career in student politics and went on to hold several important positions in the Kerala Students Union, Youth Congress and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). He has previously served as MLA multiple times and remains a member of the AICC and Congress Legislature Party leadership.
The Assembly will now remain adjourned from May 23 to May 28. Governor Vishwanath Arlekar's policy address is scheduled for May 29, while the election to the post of Deputy Speaker is set to be held on June 1.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
