Bengaluru, Aug 14 : Congress MLA G.S. Patil was elected as the new Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday in the absence of the opposition, while Congress MLC Saleem Ahmed was elected Chairman of the Legislative Council, defeating NDA candidate P.H. Pujar by eight votes.

The BJP boycotted the Assembly Speaker election, alleging that the Congress government had undermined the sanctity of the constitutional post by announcing Patil's candidature on the party's letterhead. The opposition argued that the move had reduced the Speaker's election to a mere formality.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar defended the government's decision, saying the Congress had not dishonoured the sanctity of constitutional posts and accused the BJP of politicising the issue.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka, while congratulating G.S. Patil, said the Speaker's post was not a party post and urged the newly elected Speaker to uphold the dignity and independence of the Chair.

"The Speaker post is not a party post. In the coming days, the party should learn to respect the sanctity of the Chair. The whole Assembly has to be taken into confidence," Ashoka said.

Addressing Patil, Ashoka said the newly elected Speaker may have aspired to become a minister but had instead been given the responsibility of presiding over the Assembly. He also referred to the work completed by former Speaker U.T. Khader, including arrangements relating to doors and lighting.

Ashoka urged Patil to ensure that the Assembly is convened at the appropriate time and said the Speaker's Chair should remain a symbol of justice.

"The Chair is a seat of justice and justice should be protected. The Chair should never have the shadow of a party letterhead; there should be the shadow of the Constitution. The term is short, let the conduct be sweet. We will give complete cooperation," he said.

Meanwhile, Saleem Ahmed secured 38 votes against 30 polled by NDA candidate P.H. Pujar in the Legislative Council election.

Leader of the Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy congratulated Saleem Ahmed and said they were friends personally but would continue to fight politically on ideological issues.

"Saleem Ahmed and I are friends on a personal level. But politically, we will fight over ideology," Narayanaswamy said.

He urged Saleem Ahmed to function above party, caste and creed and ensure justice for all members of the Council. He also criticised Congress for announcing Saleem Ahmed's candidature on the party letterhead.

Narayanaswamy said the opposition would not have objected had the AICC communicated the list of candidates to the KPCC president instead of announcing it through the party letterhead.

The election to the Council Chairman's post also witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling Congress and NDA members. Opposition members questioned the circumstances under which former Chairman Basavaraj Horatti had resigned from the post and sought an explanation from Pro Tem Speaker Puttanna.

Narayanaswamy demanded that Puttanna explain to the House why Horatti had allegedly been forced to step down.

Senior BJP MLC N. Ravikumar questioned whether it was constitutionally tenable for the Congress government to force Horatti to resign and also objected to the manner in which the election was being conducted.

Puttanna, however, said the proceedings had been scheduled for the election and that there was no scope for discussing other matters during the process.

Congress members insisted that the House should proceed according to the agenda and that the election should be conducted.

After Saleem Ahmed was elected, Pro Tem Speaker Puttanna handed over the charge of the Council to him. House Leader and Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, KPCC President B.K. Hariprasad and other senior leaders came to the Chair during the formal handing-over ceremony.

During the proceedings, BJP member Keshavaprasad also objected to the absence of women leaders near the Chair while escorting Saleem Ahmed, pointing out that the arrangement was entirely male-dominated.

With the election of G.S. Patil and Saleem Ahmed, both Houses of the Karnataka Legislature now have new presiding officers, even as the opposition has raised questions over the process adopted by the ruling Congress in selecting and announcing the nominees.

/IANS