Senior BJP MLA Kageri elected Karnataka assembly Speaker

FOLLOWING resignation by K R Ganesh, BJP MLA Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, former Minister, was elected Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. He had filed his nomination for the post of the Assembly Speaker on Tuesday. He represents the Sirsi constituency. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and other senior party leaders accompanied him during filing of nomination. The six-time MLA had been associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and was elected to the Assembly for the first time from the Ankola constituency in 1994 which he represented thrice till 2008.After the delimitation of constituencies in Karnataka, he shifted to Sirsi and won from the seat in 2008, 2013 and 2018. BJP activists say he is a disciplined party worker. The  BJP leader was appointed Minister of Primary and Secondary Education in 2008 and held that position till 2013, serving while the state was placed under President’s Rule and during the successive governments of current Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda.While serving as education minister,  Kageri’s attempt in 2010 to introduce changes in  the state examination system was opposed by his daughter, Jayalakshmi Hegde claiming the new system would make scoring high marks more difficult. Kageri also served as parliamentary secretary to the chief minister’s office between June and September 2007.He may have to look afresh at the disqualification of 17 MLAs by his predecessors if urged by them. Fourteen of them belonged to the Congress and three were elected on JD-S ticket .They have moved the Supreme Court.