Former Education Minister of the state and current MLA from Ajmer North, Vasudev Devnani, was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on Thursday. Now, all MLAs will present their views in the assembly under the leadership of the new Speaker. Typically, elections are held for the Speaker’s post, but no opposition candidate filed a nomination this time. Therefore, the Speaker is elected unanimously without voting. This tradition has been followed again this time, with leaders opposing Devnani’s candidacy expressing support for each other’s proposals.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma proposed Devnani’s name for the Speaker’s position. Sachin Pilot supported this proposal. Subsequently, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje proposed Devnani’s name, and Rajkumar Roat, an MLA from the Bharatiya Adivasi Party, supported it. Another proposal was made by Deputy Chief Minister Deepti Kumari, which was supported by independent MLA Chandrabhan Singh Akya from Chittorgarh. RLP MLA Hanuman Beniwal proposed a name, supported by RLP MLA Subhash Garg.
The legislative proceedings began at 2:30 pm on Thursday. Except for two MLAs, all the newly elected MLAs have taken the oath. Thus, 197 out of 199 MLAs have taken the oath. However, BJP MLA Jagat Singh from Nadbai and Congress MLA Mahendrajit Singh Malviya from Bagidora have not yet taken the oath. On Wednesday, 191 MLAs took the oath. While the remaining eight MLAs were supposed to take the oath on Thursday, only six of them did.
Protem Speaker Kalicharan Saraf administered the oath to BJP MLA Bahadur Singh Koli, BJP MLA Mahant Balkanath from Tijara, BJP MLA Bhagchand Takda from Bandidkui, BJP MLA Shrichand Kriplani from Nimba Hera, BJP MLA Surendra Singh from Masuda, and Congress MLA Sohanlal Nayak from Rayasinh Nagar. After administering the oath to six MLAs, the assembly proceedings were adjourned from 2:38 pm to 3:30 pm. The proceedings resumed at 3:30 pm.
Meanwhile, outside the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, BJP Jat MLAs demonstrated against mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar. The MLAs burned effigies of TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi. Independent MLA Priyanka Choudhary also participated in the demonstration, stating that disrespecting a person in a constitutional position will not be tolerated. BJP MLA Kuldeep Dhankad from Viratnagar said that opposition MPs have insulted the farming community. The repercussions of this disrespect will be felt in the upcoming elections. MLAs who participated in the demonstration included Arun Choudhary, Ramsarup Lamba, Sumit Godara, Bhairaram Siyol, Harlal Saharan, Shailesh Singh, Jhabar Singh Khara, Priyanka Choudhary, and many others.
When BJP MLA Shrichand Kriplani from Nimba Hera took the oath in the assembly, he justified the suspension of MPs. He also expressed objections to the statement of Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra. In response, several Congress MLAs, including Juber Khan, expressed objections. The situation turned chaotic for a while. Later, Protem Speaker Kalicharan Saraf issued orders to remove all words spoken except for the oath, which calmed the Congress MLAs.
Leaders extended their best wishes to Vasudev Devnani
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma congratulated Devnani and said, “The election of the Speaker has always been unanimous, and this is the tradition of our Legislative Assembly. Devnani’s election will add more glory to this assembly.”
MLA from Jhalrapatan and Former CM Vasundhara Raje said, “We have been sitting together in this house for many days. Honest and dedicated representatives like him are sitting on this chair. We believe that he will take decisive action and provide everyone with an opportunity to express their views in the assembly.”
Tonk MLA and former Deputy CM, Sachin Pilot said, “When Devnani Ji’s name came up, we all decided that Devnani Ji would be elected as the Speaker unanimously. The chair he occupies is prestigious, and his role will be crucial in all discussions.”
MLA from Laxmangarh Govind Dotasra also extended his congratulations saying, “All of us have collectively elected Vasudev Devnani as the Speaker. The Speaker holds control over both the ruling and opposition parties. The Speaker has always been impartial, even more so for the opposition. Devnani has a collaborative nature, and we hope that despite any pressures, whether from Delhi or any other institution, he will remain unbiased. The opposition expects him to be impartial.”
