Chennai:
AIADMK legislator P Dhanapal was on Wednesday sworn in as the speaker of the Tamil Nadu assembly. Pro-tem speaker CK Tamizharasan said that Mr Dhanapal was elected speaker unopposed as his was the sole nomination.
Mr Dhanapal represents the Rasipuram reserved assembly constituency and is the second Dalit to become a speaker in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after J Sivashanmugam Pillai, who held the post from 1946 to 1955.
The speaker's post had fallen vacant after D Jayakumar resigned in September.
Mr Dhanapal was the minister for food and cooperation during the earlier AIADMK government during 2001-2006.