Jammu/Srinagar: Veteran National Conference leader and seventh time MLA Abdul Rahim Rather is likely to be the new Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly while the National Conference leadership has decided to offer post of the Deputy Speaker to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the second largest party in the House after the National Conference which will be the main Opposition party.
Insiders in the National Conference told the Excelsior that the National Conference leadership has decided to field Rather for the post of Speaker keeping in view his experience in the Legislature as he and Ali Mohammad Sagar are the only two MLAs who have been elected to the Legislative Assembly for seventh straight term.
Rather has handled several important portfolios especially the Finance Ministry successfully. He also remained the Leader of Opposition during PDP-Congress coalition Government.
“As Jammu and Kashmir is now a Union Territory , Rather’s experience will help in running the Legislative Assembly smoothly,” said the insiders in the party and Government, as per Daily Excelsior.
Mubarak Gul, who served as the Speaker in National Conference-Congress coalition Government for about two years, and is also a seventh time legislator, is expected to be sworn-in as Pro-tem Speaker, most likely on Monday.
The Pro-tem Speaker will be administered oath by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He will later administer oath to all newly elected MLAs.
Election of the Speaker will be conducted by the Pro-tem Speaker. However, since the National Conference has decided to offer post of the Deputy Speaker to the BJP, both Speaker and Deputy Speaker are likely to be elected unanimously.
Gul, who is set to be appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 1983 and then in 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2024.
The National Conference has decided that it will offer post of the Deputy Speaker to the BJP which has 29 seats in the House of 90 and is second largest party after National Conference with 42 seats. Five Independent MLAs and lone AAP MLA have also extended support to the NC,” the party sources said.
In 2015 when NC was reduced to just 15 seats, then PDP-BJP Government headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had given post of the Deputy Speaker to the NC and accordingly Nazir Gurezi was elected to the post while post of Speaker had gone to BJP’s Kavinder Gupta and later Dr Nirmal Singh.
The party leaders said the BJP leadership has not been conveyed formally by the NC leadership about its decision to offer post of the Deputy Speaker but it will be done in due course of time.
First session of the Legislative Assembly is expected to be called by the National Conference Government in first week of the November.
As per the NC leaders, the Congress will have no problem in the NC offering post of the Deputy Speaker to the BJP as it has decided not to participate in the Government in any form.
National Conference and Congress had pre-poll alliance in which they won 48 seats which is exactly the majority mark in the Legislative Assembly taking into account nomination of five MLAs which will take strength of the House from 90 to 95.
NC won 42 seats and Congress six. CPM, also a pre-poll ally, won one seat. However, all five Independent MLAs from Jammu division and lone AAP MLA from Doda have also extended support to the National Conference taking NC’s tally to 48.
