Congressman Thimmappa set to be new Karnataka speaker

Veteran Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa, 82, is all set to be the speaker of the Karnataka assembly as he was the lone candidate to file nomination for the post Thursday.

"Thimmappa's is the lone nomination received by end of deadline for filing the papers Thursday," the legislature secretariat said.

The octogenarian, elected from Sagara in Shimoga district for the seventh term, submitted the papers to assembly secretary Omprakash in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra. Sagara is about 350 km from Bangalore.

Thimmappa would be formally declared elected Friday, the third day of the first session of the new assembly elected in the May 5 poll.

On the second day Thursday, 70 more elected representatives took oath as members. Over 140 took oath Wednesday. The assembly has 225 members including one nominated member to represent the Anglo-Indian community.

All eyes are now on the result from the May 28 polling for the Periyapatna seat in Mysore district which was not held May 5 following the death of the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.

Winning the Periyapatna seat has become a matter of prestige mainly for the Congress as Siddaramaiah hails from Mysore district.

In the May poll, the Congress won 121 seats and formed the government on its own after nine years. The Janata Dal-Secular and BJP won 40 seats each.