BJP MLAs boycott Telangana oath ceremony over Owaisi's pro-tem Speaker appointment
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The swearing-in ceremony in the Telangana Legislative Assembly took a contentious twist as BJP MLAs boycotted the proceedings in protest of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi being appointed as the pro-tem Speaker.
The pro-tem Speaker, responsible for presiding over the initial assembly sitting, administering oaths to newly elected MLAs, and conducting the crucial floor test, traditionally sees a senior MLA taking up the role.
However, with the senior-most MLA, former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, currently undergoing hip replacement surgery, the norm was set aside, leading to discontent among BJP ranks.
T Raja Singh, BJP MLA from Goshamahal Assembly constituency, declared his refusal to take the oath during the ceremony, insisting on doing so only when a regular Speaker is elected.
This echoes Singh's previous protest in 2018 when he boycotted the oath-taking ceremony due to the appointment of an AIMIM member as the pro-tem Speaker.
G Kishan Reddy, BJP’s Telangana chief, questioned the rationale behind Owaisi's selection, emphasizing the presence of many other senior legislators. Allegations were raised, asserting that the Congress party, having recently assumed power with a precarious majority, had sacrificed legislative norms to secure support from the Majlis Party.
The Congress' Telangana chief, Revanth Reddy, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Telangana, following the party's victory in the Assembly polls. Securing 64 out of 119 Assembly constituencies, the Congress surpassed the 60-seat threshold required to form a government.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which had governed Telangana since its formation in 2014, secured 39 seats, while the BJP won eight.