All 40 pose vishwas in Vishwas
SANDESH PRABHUDESAI, PANAJI | 12 June 2002 23:35 ISTVishwas Satarkar, 37, was elected unopposed the speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly today.
He is the 11th speaker of the 10th Assembly being constituted since 1963, when the first Assembly was elected after Goa's liberation on 19 December 1961.
Elected for the second term as the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, Satarkar became the unanimous choice. The opposition Congress did not field any candidate. He was the choice of the BJP-led coalition that had come to power on 3 June.
Satarkar becomes the second youngest speaker, following Dayanand Narvekar, who had become the speaker at the age of 34 years in 1984.
Being a practising lawyer, Satarkar resigned as the president of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha yesterday, to contest the speaker's post. He was also actively involved in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad earlier.
The first day of the Assembly session today began with Dr Wilfred de Souza, the protem speaker, giving oath to all the 39 newly elected legislators of the tenth Assembly.
The session would run for three days, with Governor Mohammed Fazal addressing the House tomorrow. Chief minister Manohar Parrikar will present the budget on 14 June and take vote on account for three months, until the House meets once again during monsoons to discuss the budget.
The annual budget had to be postponed as Parrikar had dissolved the Assembly on 27 February, within 32 months, seeking fresh mandate for the BJP. Goans however elected a hung Assembly, electing 17 of the BJP and 16 of the Congress, besides seven others.
Three-member United Goans Democratic Party, two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and one independent are part of the BJP-led coalition government. Five among them are the ministers.
