Nimaben Acharya becomes first woman Speaker of Gujarat Assembly

I will fulfil the new responsibility to the best of my ability, says five-term veteran

Nimaben Acharya assured the House that she will try to fulfill her new responsibility to the best of her ability.

Veteran legislator Nimaben Acharya was on Monday unanimously elected the first woman Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly, which met for the two-day monsoon session.

A three-time BJP MLA and a two-time Congress MLA, Ms. Acharya is one of the seniormost MLAs in the State.

The name of the MLA from Bhuj, Kutch, was proposed by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Opposition Congress supported her nomination.

“For the first time after the formation of Gujarat in 1960, the Assembly has a woman Speaker. I congratulate her on behalf of the entire House,” Mr. Patel said.

The election has been necessitated after Rajendra Trivedi resigned and joined the Cabinet which took over earlier this month when Vijay Rupani and his entire Cabinet had resigned.

“I assure the House that I will fulfil the new responsibility to the best of my ability,” she said after taking over as the Speaker.

A veteran in Gujarat politics, Ms. Acharya joined the BJP in 2007 and since then has been winning consecutively. Earlier, she was a Congress lawmaker from Kutch district.

BJP legislator Jetha Bharwad has been elected Deputy Speaker while Pankaj Desai has been appointed as the Chief Whip. Bharuch BJP MLA Dushyant Patel has been made deputy Whip.