With Legislative Council Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy set to retire on Thursday, Governor Vajubhai Vala will be nominating a pro tem Chairman.
A pro tem Chairman has been necessitated since Deputy Chairman Marithibbe Gowda also completes his term on June 21, though he has been re-elected to the House. Mr. Shankaramurthy did not seek re-election. Sources said that the Governor appoints the pro tem Chairman based on the State government’s recommendation.
In the 75-member House currently, the Congress’s strength is 34 and BJP’s 20 while Janata Dal (Secular) has 14 besides two Independents. Five vacancies have been caused with the election of K.S. Eshwarappa, V. Somanna, and G. Parameshwara to the Legislative Assembly, and resignation of Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and M.D Lakshminarayan.
When asked about the selection of candidate for the posts of Chairman and Deputy Chairman, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said a decision was yet to be taken. However, sources in JD(S) said the party was keen on taking the Chairman’s post since it had left the Speaker’s post in the Legislative Assembly to Congress nominee K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
