V Sasi elected Deputy Speaker of Kerala Assembly

Sasi polled 90 votes while opposition UDF candidate I C Balakrishnan garnered 45 votes in the voting held in the assembly

CPI's V Sasi on Wednesday was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the 14th Kerala Assembly.

While Sasi polled 90 votes, opposition UDF candidate I C Balakrishnan garnered 45 votes in the voting held in the assembly.

Four members were absent, including BJP's lone member O Rajagopal, and one vote was declared invalid.

Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan did not exercise his franchise.

Sasi, the two-time MLA from Chirayankeezhu constituency in the Assembly, was earlier a member of the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The CPI(M) headed LDF has a strength of 92 in the 141 member Assembly, including the nominated Anglo-Indian member, John Fernandez.

Congress led UDF has 47 members, BJP has one and P C George is an Independent MLA.

While LDF's Chitoor MLA K Krishnankutty was not present in the House at the time of voting, in the opposition benches Anoop Jacob of Kerala Congress (Jacob) and IUML's C Mamooty were absent.