Trivandrum: Veteran Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was on Friday elected as the Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly, marking a key development in the newly formed Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in the state.
Radhakrishnan, 76,
is an eight-time MLA and currently the senior-most Congress legislator in the Assembly. He secured 101 votes in the election held in the 140-member House. CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate A C Moideen received 35 votes, while BJP nominee B B Gopakumar got three votes. Pro Tem Speaker G Sudhakaran did not cast his ballot.
The election comes days after the UDF returned to power in Kerala after a decade, with VD Satheesan taking oath as chief minister earlier this week. The UDF currently enjoys a comfortable majority with 102 members in the Assembly.
Radhakrishnan has held several important portfolios in previous Congress-led governments in Kerala.