Ex-Union Min Narendra Singh Tomar elected speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly

BHOPAL: Former Union minister and senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Narendra Singh Tomar was unanimously elected as the speaker of the Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly on Wednesday. State Chief Minister Mohan Yadav moved a proposal for Tomar as the speaker and the leader of the opposition Umang Singhar as well as other MLAs also moved the proposal in favour of Tomar to be elected as the speaker.

After that, with the vote pro-tem speaker Gopal Bhargava declared Tomar as elected unanimously to the speaker's post. BJP MLA Tomar filed his nomination for the speaker's post on Monday, the first day of the first session of the 16th Madhya Pradesh assembly. The first session of the state assembly will conclude on Thursday. After Tomar was chosen speaker, CM Yadav extended congratulations to him and also thanked the opposition for unanimously electing the speaker.

"I congratulate you (Tomar) on being unanimously elected as the Speaker of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. It is my good fortune to personally receive guidance from you in many matters. Tomar's journey has been from counsellor to Union Minister. Your efforts and humility have been visible at every step. As a Union Minister, you left a mark in everyone's heart and both the ruling party and the opposition always respected you," Yadav said in a post on 'X'. Tomar has long experience in parliamentary and legislative works. This House will benefit from his experience and knowledge, the CM added.

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition Umang Singhar also congratulated Tomar and said that he hoped that the speaker would give equal time and opportunity to both the parties. "Congratulations and best wishes to Narendra Singh Tomar on becoming the Speaker of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh on behalf of my party. Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly will benefit from your experience and I hope that you will give equal time and opportunity to both the parties to present our views," Singhar said.

Besides, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also congratulated Tomar and praised him by comparing him with former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"Congratulations and greeting to Narendra Singh Tomar. He (Tomar) is not an individual but an organisation and has a great personality. If I really say so, then like late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he is an 'ajatshatru' (a person who has no enemy) in the context of Madhya Pradesh.

Be it ruling party or opposition, everyone has always been impressed by his working style. I have full confidence that because of the political experience he (Tomar) has and the personality he has, he will run the house keeping in mind about both the parties," Chouhan said.

Tomar has been elected an MLA from the Dimani Assembly seat in Morena district in the recently concluded state assembly polls which was held last month. Out of 230 assembly seats in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 163 seats, while the Congress party won 66 seats and the Bharatiya Adivasi Party won one seat.