Vipin Parmar to become new Speaker of Himachal Assembly

Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Vipin Parmar is set to be appointed as the new Speaker of the state assembly after becoming the only candidate on Tuesday to file the nomination paper for the post. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur proposed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the post.

The notice was seconded by Nahan MLA and former speaker Rajeev Bindal, state assembly secretary Yash Paul Sharma said. Bindal, who quit the Speaker's post on January 16, was later elected as the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president.

State assembly secretary Yash Paul Sharma told PTI only one nomination was filed for the post and Parmar will be formally declared as the new Speaker on Wednesday. The opposition Congress did not file any nomination for the post as it has only 21 members in the 68-member House. The ruling BJP has a total of 44 MLAs whereas the CPI(M) has a lone MLA. Two independent MLAs are supporting the BJP.

The chief minister told the media late Monday that the BJP high command had decided to appoint Health and Family Welfare Minister Vipin Parmar as the new Speaker. Thakur said he had talked with BJP national president

J P Nadda in this regard. Born on March 15, 1964 in Kangra's Nanao village, Parmar is a law graduate and MLA from Sullah assembly constituency.

Parmar was elected to the state legislative assembly for the first time in 1998. He was re-elected as MLA in 2007 and 2017. He was inducted into the Council of Ministers as Health Minister along with the portfolios of Medical Education, Ayurveda and Science and Technology on December 27, 2017. He was organizing secretary of state Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and secretary of national ABVP.

PTI DJI SRY