Five-time MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania to be next speaker of Himachal Assembly

(Representational image; Credit: Reuters)

Senior Congress leader and five-time MLA from Bhatiyyat Kuldeep Singh Pathania is all set to be the next speaker of the Himachal Assembly.

His unanimous election is a foregone conclusion as he is the only candidate in the fray.

Pathania submitted his nomination papers to Vidhan Sabha secretary Yash Pal in the presence of senior leaders including HPCC president Pratibha Singh.

Three sets of nomination papers were filed for him. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu proposed Pathania's candidature and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur seconded it.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was the proposer in the second set, seconded by Col Dhani Ram Shandil, while senior Congress leader Harshwardhan Singh was the proposer in the third set and former Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar seconded the candidature.

Pathania will be formally elected as Speaker on Thursday. He was elected to the Assembly in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007, and 2022.

He had contested as an Independent in 1993 and 2003.