Bhopal, Feb 22 (IANS): The budget session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly commenced on Monday where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Girish Gautam was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Assembly. Gautam had filed his nomination for the Speaker's post on Sunday.

As soon as the session began, the process of electing the Assembly Speaker was completed first.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other party leaders proposed to make Gautam, a BJP MLA from Deotalab Assembly constituency, the Speaker of the Assembly.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Kamal Nath, had already announced that Congress will not field any candidate for the Speaker's post so Gautam was elected unopposed. Chouhan and Kamal Nath led Gautam to the Speaker's chair and congratulated him.

The budget session is taking place following the necessary Covid-19 protocols and will continue till March 26.

The budget for the financial year 2021-22 will be presented on March 2.