BJP legislator elected as speaker of J&K assembly

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kavinder Gupta was on Thursday elected unanimously as Speaker of the 12th Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Basharat Bukhari moved a motion in the Assembly saying that Kavinder Gupta, a member of this house, be chosen as the Speaker. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh seconded the motion.

The speaker was elected with voice vote with no one from the Opposition going against the motion.

Gupta is an MLA from Gandhinagar constituency in Jammu district.

After the election of Gupta as Speaker, he was taken to the Speaker's chair by Dr Nirmal Singh, Basharat Bukhari and National Conference'S Mubarak Gul.

Chief Minister Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed, former chief minister and NC legislative party leader Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Congress Legislative leader Nawang Rigzin Jora and Communist Party of India-Marxist leader M Y Tarigami welcomed and congratulated the newly elected speaker.