Cooperative circles in Gujarat are bubbling over the news that the state BJP has named leading corporator and the chairman of the Banas Dairy, Shankar Chaudhary as the next Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly.
The election of the Speaker is scheduled for December 20, a day after the new Assembly convenes on December 19. Another senior legislator Jetha Bharwad has been named as the Deputy Speaker.
Chaudhary has won the Tharad seat in north Gujarat, He is in his 50s and exercises considerable influence as a leader from the Thakor community in the state. Cooperators of every stripe from Gujarat have welcomed the development.
Shankarbhai Chaudhary is the Chairman of Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Federation (Banas Dairy) and was also the Chairman of Banaskantha District Central Cooperative Bank. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Gujarat State Cooperative Bank.
He was elected unopposed as the chairman of Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Federation, Palanpur (Banas Dairy) ending 24-year reign of Parthi Bhatol. Shankar Chaudhary was born 3 December 1970.
Chaudhary fought the elections on the BJP ticket from Tharad constituency securing 1,16,842 votes whereas his rival Gulabsinh Rajput from INC received 90,977 votes.
Jetha Bharwad has been named as the Deputy Speaker. Bharwad is the Chairman of Panchmahal District Cooperative Milk Producers Union and is also the chairman of Panchmahal District Cooperative Bank.
Bharwad contested the election as the BJP candidate from Shehera constituency, got 1,07,082 votes and his rival Khatubhai Pagi (INC) received 59,986 votes. Jethabhai Bharwad was born on 1 June 1950.
Perhaps, this is for the first-time leaders from cooperative background have been named for Gujarat assembly speaker and deputy speaker.
Interestingly, media reports say both leaders had courted controversy in 2012 when they were accused of watching a pornographic clip on an iPad inside the Assembly. After allegations in the media, the Assembly Speaker had ordered a probe in which both were given the clean chit after the Forensic Science Laboratory examined the iPad and said that no such content was accessed from the said gadget.