Bengaluru: As BJP withdrew its candidate S. Suresh Kumar, K.R. Ramesh Kumar (MLA from Srinivasapura) of the Congress was elected for the post of Karnataka Assembly Speaker this morning.

When the House convened, previously appointed pro-tem Speaker K.G. Bopaiah took up the election of the Speaker. BJP’s Sunil Kumar stood up and said he was not moving the motion proposing Suresh Kumar for the Speaker’s post.

Ramesh Kumar’s name was then proposed by former Chief Minister and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddharamaiah and seconded by Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara. The motion was unanimously adopted by the House.

Ramesh Kumar was the Speaker of the House from 1994 to 1999. He will conduct the floor test Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will face later today to prove his majority in the house.

Kumaraswamy tabled the confidence motion at around 1.45 pm till we went to the Press. The Assembly has 221 members and Kumaraswamy needs 111 votes for a simple majority. While the BJP has 104 seats, the Congress has 78 and JD(S) has 37 seats. There are two independents.  

Earlier to the Speaker’s election, BJP’s State President B.S. Yeddyurappa said the party withdrew its candidate in order to ‘maintain dignity’ of the Speaker’s post as they wanted the election to be unanimous.

CM Kumaraswamy congratulated Ramesh Kumar and hoped that the next five years pass on peacefully. “We are happy that you have been elected unanimously,” he said.  Yeddyurappa congratulated Ramesh Kumar and said, “You have an experience as a humble and fair person. The Opposition will cooperate with you in every possible way.”

Today’s floor test will bring an end to the 10-day political uncertainty in the State that began after the State gave a fractured mandate in the Assembly elections.