BJP’s Nirmal Singh set to become J&K Speaker

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Dr. Nirmal Singh is all set to become new speaker of the State Assembly.

Mr. Singh had quit last month to pave the way for his party colleague and Speaker of the J&K Assembly Kavinder Gupta to replace him as deputy chief minister in the run up of a major reshuffle in the Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti.

The reshuffle had seen exit of also two other BJP ministers and one from its coalition partner Peoples’ Democratic Party.

Acting on recommendation of the government, Governor N.N. Vohra, has convened a special session of the Assembly here on Thursday to elect new Speaker.

Mr. Singh is the consensus candidate of the ruling combine for the post and since it enjoys majority in the House his election as new speaker is almost a foregone conclusion.

Sources said that the opposition is unlikely to field its candidate against Mr. Singh keeping in view the numerical strength of the PDP-BJP alliance in the house of 89 members.