Karnataka Congress lawmaker files papers for speaker's post

Veteran Congress lawmaker Kagodu Thimmappa, 82, Thursday filed nomination papers for the election to the speaker's post the day after in the 14th Karnataka legislative assembly at Vidhana Soudha here.

The octogenarian, who won from the Sagara assembly segment 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.

With 121 lawmakers in the 225-member lower house, including one nominated, the ruling Congress is confident that Thimmappa will win in the event of an election to the post from the opposition parties - the Janata Dal-Secular and Bharatiya Janata Party, which have 40 seats each.

The remaining 22 seats are shared by the newly formed two regional outfits - the Karnataka Janata Party with six members, the Bhadavara, Shramikara, Raithara four members and one each of the Samajwadi Party and the Karnataka Makkala Paksha and 10 independents.

Election to the Periyapatna assembly segment in Mysore district was held May 28 and counting is Friday.

With no lawmaker from opposition parties filing nomination till 5 p.m., election to the august post is unlikely and Thimmappa may be declared speaker Friday.

"The chief minister will propose Thimmappa's name for the post and senior Minister for Higher Education and Tourism R.V. Deshpande and Jayachandra will second it when the house meets Friday," a party source told IANS.