PANJIM: Sanguem Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Subhash Phaldesai was elected as Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. He defeated Saligao Congress MLA Kedar Naik by 24-15 votes.
In all, three MLAs Phaldesai, Naik and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco had filed their nominations for the post. However, Lourenco withdrew his nomination leaving it to be a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress legislator.
In all 19 BJP MLAs, three Independents and two MLAs of MGP voted in favour of Phaldesai while, 11 MLAs belonging to Congress, two of AAP and one each of Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goans Party voted for Naik.
On Tuesday, Canacona BJP legislator Ramesh Tawadkar was elected as the Speaker by a similar margin.
After Phaldesai was elected as Deputy Speaker, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant flanked by senior leader Digambar Kamat of the Opposition took Phaldesai towards the Opposition benches and made him sit adjacent to the Leader of the Opposition chair.
