PremiumUttarakhand Assembly got its first woman speakers on Saturday, when BJP MLA Ritu Khanduri was was elected unopposed to the position.
Daughter of former chief minister B C Khanduri, Ritu's election to the post was a foregone conclusion as the main opposition Congress chose to stay out of contest.
The announcement about her election was made by pro-tem speaker Banshidhar Bhagat.
Congratulating her, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said Ritu will “run the House well" and the Uttarakhand assembly “will create new history under her leadership".
She took to Twitter to express her “gratitude and thanks" to all BJP members and the opposition. “I will discharge the highest parliamentary ideals and traditions to the best of my abilities," her post on the micro-blogging site, roughly translated from Hindi, read.
See the post here
Opposition members Pritam Singh and Yashpal Arya also congratulated her, saying they were confident she would carry forward her father's legacy of probity in public life and lay the foundations of healthy legislative practices.
Singh also expressed hope that under her stewardship, the House will pass a resolution granting 33 per cent reservation to women in the state legislature.
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