Who Will Be The Speaker Of Jammu And Kashmir Assembly?

As LG Manoj Sinha calls the session of J&K assembly on November 4, all eyes are on the speaker, reports ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will begin its first session on November 4 when it will elect the speaker and the deputy speaker on the first day, followed by the address of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

The speaker pro-tem Mubarik Gul on Tuesday issued the provisional calendar for its maiden session from November 4. The five-day session will conclude on November 8, and will be held in Srinagar Assembly complex.

The assembly complex has been prepared and maintained for holding the first session of the UT legislature. The last session was held in the Jammu wing of the legislature when PDP-BJP government was in place in the erstwhile state.

Sources in the National Conference said that MLA Chrar e Sharif, Abdul Rahim Rather will be the candidate from the party for the post of the speaker.

"The final call on the candidate will be taken tomorrow by the party leadership. Discussion is going on about the candidature of Rahim Rather and Nazir Gurezi, but in all likelihood Rahim Rather will be the candidate for the post of the speaker," sources told ETV Bharat. However, another source in the NC said that Rather, a seven-time MLA, who has invariably held the Finance portfolio in the erstwhile J&K state, was reluctant to accept the Speaker post.

NC has 42 legislators, while its alliance Congress has six and the five independents are supporting NC. In all the NC-Congress government has support of 55 legislators including the CPI (M) MLA Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 29 legislators in the assembly, and the party may get the post of deputy speaker.

As per the calendar the first day is November 4, the House will witness the election of the Speaker, followed by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's address. This will set the stage for the debate for the subsequent proceedings during the five days.

On November 5, the House will pay obituary references to the MLAs who passed away since the last session of the erstwhile assembly. This solemn tribute will acknowledge the contributions of departed leaders.

From November 6 to 7, the focus will shift to a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Lieutenant Governor's address. This debate will provide an opportunity for lawmakers, among whom 51 are newly elected, to engage in debates about the LG's address.

The last day of the session will witness discussion on Motion of Thanks and reply thereto.

As reported by ETV Bharat, the ruling National Conference will bring a resolution against the abrogation of the Article 370 to show the resentment against the August 5, 2019 decisions. The resolution will be moved by the chief minister Omar Abdullah.