Belagavi: The winter session of the legislature in Belagavi achieved a remarkable feat Monday with the assembly holding proceedings for 15 consecutive hours, the longest in over a decade. The session began at 10am and eventually concluded at 12:55am in the night, although only a dozen or so members were in the House after 8pm. The extended session saw active participation from several key functionaries, including three ministers, seven Congress MLAs, four JD(S) legislators, one BJP MLA, and an independent member.
Speaker UT Khader and deputy speaker Rudrappa Lamani oversaw the marathon session, which ran uninterrupted except for a lunch break and brief adjournments due to disruptions.
KG Bopaiah, who served as speaker between 2009 and 2013 oversaw the longest-ever sitting, which ended at 1.45am the next day.
Monday's extended session was to make up for time lost due to the demise of former CM SM Krishna. Speaker Khader expressed satisfaction over the feat, while public works minister Satish Jarkiholi emphasised its significance. Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda and higher education minister Dr MC Sudhakar were among others who were present throughout.
The assembly successfully passed five bills, followed by calling attention matters, with members eagerly competing to present their issues. JD(S) MLA Karemma G Naik from Devadurga patiently waited for her turn, while Indi MLA Yashvantaraygoud V Patil graciously offered his speaking slot to her.