Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kongkham Robindro Singh has been elected on Thursday as the new Deputy Speaker of the 11th Manipur State Legislative Assembly.
Kongkham Robindro Singh got elected defeating his rival Congress MLA Fajur Rahim in voice vote at the ongoing Budget Session of the State Legislative Assembly.
Robindro, the eldest son of Kongkham Manglem of Mayang Imphal Thana Awang Leikai in Manipur’s Imphal West district, is one of the youngest Deputy Speakers elected so far in the history of Manipur Assembly. He is just 30 years old.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is the leader of the 60-member House and Opposition leader O Ibobi Sibgh of the Congress party have welcomed the new Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly.
In their separate statements delivered in the ongoing Assembly minutes after the election, both Biren and Ibobi hoped that the newly-elected Deputy Speaker would be able to deliver the existing democratic norms in ruling the State Assembly.
Robindro, who pursued post-graduation in Business Administration (Marketing) from Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom in 2012, was elected for the first time in the 11th State Assembly on BJP ticket during 2017 Assembly elections.
He defeated former Education Minister Kh Ratankumar by a margin of 3094 votes in last year’s Assembly polls.
It may be mentioned that the post of Manipur State Assembly’s Deputy Speaker was lying vacant after the BJP-led coalition government came to power in March, 2017.
Congress MLA from Chingai Assembly constituency in Ukhrul district Preshaw Shimray was the Deputy Speaker of the 10th Manipur State Legislative Assembly.