Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP) 

Bengaluru, Aug 1: Six-time MLA from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, was on Wednesday July 31 elected unopposed as the new Speaker of Karnataka Assembly. His election was necessitated on account of the coalition government formed by the Congress and the JD(S) failing the floor test, and consequent resignation of incumbent speaker, K R Ramesh Kumar. 

The election was unanimous as Kageri was the only person to have filed nomination for the post. On Wednesday, deputy Speaker, J K Krishna Reddy, proposed to hold the election for this post. Chief minister, B S Yediyurappa, proposed the name of Kageri. It was seconded by former minister and MLA, Basavaraj Bommai. Thereafter, chief minister, B S Yediyurappa, and leader of the Congress legislature party, Siddaramaiah, escorted Kageri to the seat of the Speaker. 

Speaking on the occasion, Yediyurappa said that Kageri has been a fighter since his student days and that his popularity can be gauged by the fact that he has won six consecutive Assembly elections. Expressing happiness at the selection of a highly eligible person for the post, he said he is confident that Kageri will uphold the honour and eminence of the house. 

Siddaramaiah said that the post of the Assembly Speaker has high relevance in a democratic set up. In spite of coming from ABVP, RSS, BJP background, once an MLA occupies the chair of the Speaker, he gets out of all these affiliations and he needs to act independently and impartially, he reminded Kageri, duly noting that this position has acquired lot of importance. 

Kumaraswamy said that the Speaker is responsible for protecting the rights of 224 members of the assembly and asked him to make sure that the session is carried out at least 60 days during a year. 

Former Speaker, Ramesh Kumar, BJP leaders, Jagadish Shettar, K S Eshwarappa, Govind Karjol, Shivalinge Gowda of the JD(S) and Mahesh of BSP in their addresses, congratulated Kageri. 

It is said that Yediyurappa was keen on bringing back K G Bopaiah, a BJP MLA backed by the experience of having functioned as Assembly Speaker in the past. It is said that Bopaiah was not keen on accepting the offer. Kageri is seen as a soft-spoken person having good rapport with everyone.