Chandigarh: Two-time Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan was on Monday unanimously elected as Speaker of the 16th Punjab Legislative Assembly. Sandhwan's name was proposed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the House on Monday. Mann congratulated Sandhwan for becoming the Speaker of the House. He also urged the Speaker to allow live proceedings of the House.
Among the opposition legislators, who congratulated Sandhwan included Congress MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Shiromani Akali Dal legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali, BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma, Congress MLAs Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The opposition members expressed hope that the Speaker will allow them equal opportunities to raise public issues in the House. Sandhwan, 46, won from the Kotkapura assembly seat after defeating Congress candidate Ajaipal Singh Sandhu by a margin of 21,130 votes in the Punjab Assembly polls. He is the grandnephew of former President Giani Zail Singh and succeeds former Speaker Rana KP Singh. Sandhwan has remained president of AAP's farmer wing and has been actively raising farming-related issues.
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