CPI(M) legislator and the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) A. N. Shamseer was elected Speaker of the Kerala Assembly on September 12.
Mr. Shamseer defeated Congress MLA and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Anwar Sadat by 96 to 40 votes in the ballot held at the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The result was expected as the LDF has 99 seats against the UDF's 41 seats in the House.
Mr. Shamseer succeeds his party colleague M. B. Rajesh as the Speaker. The post fell vacant after the latter replaced M. V. Govindan as Minister for Local Self Government following a rejig in the Pinarayi Vijayan Ministry. Mr. Govindan had stepped down as LSG Minister to take over as State secretary of the CPI(M).
Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar oversaw the election which used paper ballots. Polling began at 10 a.m. and ended at 10.33 a.m. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was the first to cast the vote.
Mr. Shamseer, who represents the Thalassery constituency in Kannur district, is the 24th Speaker of the Kerala Assembly.
The 45-year-old from Thalassery entered politics through the SFI. He later held the posts of State secretary and all India joint secretary of the SFI and State president of the DYFI. Mr. Shamseer was first elected to the Kerala Assembly in 2016 from Thalassery.
The CPI(M) fielded him from the Vadakara constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, but he lost to Mullapally Ramachandran of the Congress. A law graduate, Mr. Shamseer is married to P. M. Sahala. The couple has a son.
