Bengaluru : U T Khader, a prominent Congress leader and former minister, has made history by becoming the first Muslim Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. In a significant move, Khader, a five-time MLA, was unanimously elected as the new Speaker during a session held on Wednesday.

The proposal to nominate Khader for the esteemed position was put forward by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and it received strong support from Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. Since there were no other contenders for the post, Protem Speaker R V Deshpande called for a vote on the Chief Minister’s proposal, which was unanimously accepted by the House.

Traditionally, the ruling party’s candidate is elected unopposed as the Speaker. In Khader’s case, he had previously held the role of Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and had also served as a minister.