Belagavi: Seniormost MLC Basavaraj Horatti of the BJP was elected as the Legislative Council Chairman for the third time at the ongoing winter session of the State Legislature at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday. 

Horatti, who is also a former Minister, was elected unopposed as he was the only MLC who had filed nomination for the post, the election for which was scheduled on Wednesday. The Acting Chairman Raghunathrao Malkapure also of the BJP, who initiated the election process, announced the election of Horatti as the new Legislative Council Chairman, which post he had held twice earlier.

The 76-year-old Horatti, who is the seniormost member of the Upper house, has won the Legislative Council polls from North-West Teachers Constituency for a record eight successive terms, starting from 1980. Horatti, who is from Hubballi,  had won contesting as an independent and  as a candidate of Janata Party, Janata Dal, Lokshakti and JD(S).He  left JD(S) eight months ago and  successfully contested on a BJP ticket in the Legislative Council polls held in June last. Horatti had also served as a Minister in the coalition Governments headed by Dharam Singh and H.D. Kumaraswamy. Soon after his election, Horatti was greeted by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Opposition Leader in the Council B.K. Hariprasad, MLCs S.L. Bhojegowda and Y.A.Narayanaswamy and a host of other Council members and  leaders.