Hyderabad : In a significant political development, Gaddam Prasad Kumar, a two-time Congress MLA hailing from Vikarabad, is on the brink of becoming the Speaker of Telangana’s third Legislative Assembly.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, following the swearing-in ceremony of the majority of the newly elected MLAs last Saturday, has issued a notification scheduling the election for the Telangana Assembly Speaker on December 14. The Governor is set to address both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on December 15.
Aged 59, Kumar, known for his soft-spoken demeanor and widespread popularity among party colleagues, submitted his nomination for the Speaker’s position this Saturday. Notably, all 64 Congress MLAs have thrown their support behind him, and there are indications that the seven AIMIM MLAs may also back him. This potential support comes in the wake of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s efforts, suggesting to the Governor the appointment of Akbaruddin Owaisi as the Protem Speaker.
Kumar’s political journey began with a successful run on a Congress ticket in the 2009 Assembly elections. In 2012, he was appointed to N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s Cabinet as the Minister for Handlooms and Textiles. However, in 2014, during the state’s bifurcation, he faced defeat against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS, now Bharat Rashtra Samithi or BRS) candidate B Sanjeev Rao. Subsequently, in 2018, he lost to Dr M Anand.
