File photo of Arvind Kejriwal.
The Aam Aadmi Party today braced for a fight in the election to the post of Delhi Assembly Speaker, naming first-time MLA MS Dhir as its candidate, while senior Congress MLA Mateen Ahmad will be the pro-tem speaker.
Ending the suspense, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made the announcement to the media even as BJP and Congress have been reticent about disclosing their strategy.
Asked whether by announcing the name of Mr Dhir, elected from Jangpura, AAP was itching for a fight, Mr Kejriwal said, "Yes, there is always an election for Speaker."
The Speaker's election is scheduled to take place on January 3, a day after the trust vote to be sought by the government in the Assembly whose first session starts tomorrow.
In the 70-member Assembly, AAP has 28 MLAs, eight short of a majority required to get its nominee elected. The AAP has the support of 8 MLAs of Congress party, which will take it safely across the half-way mark.
With BJP declining the post of pro-tem Speaker, Mr Kejriwal said it has now been decided that Seelampur MLA Mateen Ahmad will be the pro-tem Speaker.
A pro-tem Speaker presides over proceedings relating to taking of oath by new members and other business till the election of Speaker.
He said that he was not aware why the BJP has declined to accept the pro-tem Speaker's post, which generally goes to the senior-most member of the house.
Queried about that, he shot back, "I don't know why the BJP declined. I think you should ask them."
Senior BJP leader and MLA Jagdish Mukhi had last night declined to be the pro-tem Speaker of Delhi Assembly.
"The decision was taken by my party that neither I nor any MLA of the party will be the pro-team Speaker," Mr Mukhi had said after he was appointed to the post by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.