Governor Vajubhai Vala today appointed K G Bopaiah as the pro-tem speaker of the Karnataka Assembly for administering oath to newly elected MLAs and conducting the Supreme Court-ordered floor test tomorrow, a decision denounced by the Congress.
Bopaiah, an old RSS hand, was administered the oath as pro-tem speaker by Vala.
Bopaiah was the speaker of the Assembly between 2009 and 2013.
Considered close to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, he had disqualified 11 disgruntled BJP and five independent MLAs ahead of a trust vote to help the Yeddyurappa government in 2011.
His decision was upheld by the Karnataka High Court but overturned by the Supreme Court, which said Bopaiah had acted in haste.
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"Shocking decision by the Honble Governor.. Constitutional Convention says the seniormost, in this case RV Deshpande shouldve been named. Also Supreme Court had passed structures (sic) against the conduct of KG Bopiah as Speaker. Sad to see Vajubhai Valaji behaving like an agent of BJP," senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said reacting sharply to Bopaiah's appointment.
Usually the senior-most member of the Assembly is appointed the pro-tem speaker to administer oath to the newly elected MLAs.
R V Deshpande of the Congress party is the senior-most in the new House.
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