Senior Congress leader and five-time MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania was on January 5 unanimously elected as Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly by voice vote.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur escorted Mr. Pathania to the Speaker's chair following his election.
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The election of Mr. Pathania, the member from Bhatiyyat in Chamba district, was a foregone conclusion as he was the only candidate in the fray.
Three sets of nomination papers were filed for him on Wednesday. Mr. Pathania had submitted his nomination papers to Vidhan Sabha Secretary Yash Pal in the presence of senior leaders.
The Congress leader was elected to Vidhan Sabha in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2022. In 1993 and 2003, he was elected as an Independent.
