NC’s Abdul Rather elected Speaker

Veteran National Conference leader and seven-time MLA from Charar-e-Sharief Abdul Rahim Rather was on Monday elected the first speaker of the legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Minister for Agriculture Javed Ahmad Dar moved a motion to name Rather for the post of speaker, while NC's MLA Ramban Arjun Singh Raju seconded the motion on the first day of the five-day session.

After his election, Rather was escorted to the chair by the Leader of the House Abdullah and BJP's Sunil Sharma, the Leader of Opposition.

Leader of the House and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Rather (80) was a "natural choice" for the post due to his vast experience.