Veteran BJP leader and six-time legislator Mangu Patel (69) was today elected as the deputy speaker of the 13th Gujarat Assembly.
Election for the post, which was vacant for many years, was held in the Assembly today.
Mangu Patel's name was proposed by finance minister Nitin Patel, while Congress's nominee was Shailesh Parmar, whose name was proposed by Una MLA Punja Vansh and seconded by Mahendrasinh Baraiya.
Congress party chief whip Balvantsinh Rajput said that as per the tradition of Gujarat Assembly, the ruling party should offer the post of deputy speaker to an opposition MLA. But eventually Patel was elected by majority vote.
Patel, who won from Gandevi constituency in the last Assembly polls, had been the Forest and Tribal Development minister too.
