Modi aide Vajubhai to be new Gujarat Speaker

Veteran BJP leader and former Gujarat Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala is set to be elected unopposed as the new Speaker of the state assembly.

The six-time MLA, who holds the record of presenting the most number of state Budgets (14 times), on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of BJP before filing his nomination papers for the post of Speaker.

The election of Speaker is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in the first session of the newly elected assembly. No other candidate is in the fray.

"I resigned from the primary membership of the party and submitted the letter to State BJP President R C Faldu before filing my nomination papers for the Speaker's post," Vala said while talking to reporters in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.

Main Opposition Congress, which has 59 MLAs, has adhered to the tradition of unanimously electing the Speaker and decided not to field any candidate.

Anticipating his unopposed election, Vala said, "I will work as per the rules of the House. My role as Speaker will be to ensure that laws aimed at the welfare of the people are passed without any hindrance."

Vala, considered a close aide of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, had been tipped to be nominated for the post when his name was excluded from the list of new ministers, who took oath last month.

After the Speaker's election, Governor Kamla Beniwal will address the House.