IMPHAL, Mar 20: MLA Yumnam Khemchand, elected from Singjamei AC on BJP ticket and proposed by the Government headed by Chief Minister N Biren has been elected Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly through voice vote.
He was supported by 33 MLAs including Th Shyamkumar who was elected to the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly on Congress ticket. Notably, Th Shyamkumar defected to BJP camp soon after the election results were declared and he was already sworn in as a Cabinet Minister.
Congress party proposed MLA K Govindas for the post of Speaker but he lost the same post to Khemchand on voice vote. Earlier in the morning today before the Assembly session started, a petition signed by 10 Congress MLAs was submitted to the Assembly Speaker seeking disqualification of Th Shyamkumar and adjournment of the house business under Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business Rule 64.
Even as the pro-tem Speaker took up the day’s business, Congress MLAs Y Surchandra and Kh Joykisan raised a motion of adjournment contending that MLA Th Shyamkumar ought to be disqualified under the 10th Schedule.
Pro-tem Speaker Hang-khanlian maintained that the matter demanded due process of law but the petition was submitted only this morning. He said that the matter would be referred to the Assembly Secretary for initiation of necessary legal process from tomorrow.
Source: The Sangai Express
