NC leader Rahim Rather elected as Speaker of J-K UT’s first Assembly

SRINAGAR — Veteran National Conference leader and seven-time MLA, Abdul Rahim Rather was Monday unanimously elected as Speaker of the first Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory.

As per the news agency KNO, 78-year-old Rather, who has served as minister in cabinets of Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, was elected as Speaker after Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Javaid Ahmad Dar moved a motion for choosing him for the coveted post as soon as House assembled at 10:30 am.

The motion was seconded by NC’s MLA Ramban, Arjun Singh Raju.

With opposition parties deciding against contesting the post, the pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul declared his election as the Speaker.

Soon after his election, Leader of House Omar Abdullah and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma escorted him to the Speaker’s chair.