Record beckons Halim as Bengal Speaker

Kolkata, June 8 (UNI) Veteran CPI (M) leader Hashim Abdul Halim, almost certain to retain the Speaker's chair in the 14th West Bengal Assembly, is poised to create a record in the country by continuing in the post for 29 years.

Mr Halim, who first donned the coveted mantle in 1982 to be elected for the post for five consecutive terms, will have another five years to run to become the second longest serving Speaker in the world, once he is elected for the sixth time, Assembly Secretariat sources today said.

''It will be a record in the country's parliamentary democracy as no other person has ever served as Speaker for so many years, '' the sources said.

They said Mr Halim would also have the pride of being the second longest serving Speaker in the world after an Australian, who had continued for 33 years.

The first session of the newly constituted Assembly begins on June 12 with veteran Congress member Gyan Singh Sohanpal being appointed by Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as pro-tem Speaker.

The ruling Left Front had already announced that Mr Halim was its unanimous choice as the candidate for the post of Speaker.

In the 294-member State Assembly, the ruling coalition commands an overwhelming majority with 235 seats while the Opposition Trinamool Congress has a strength of 29 and the Congress 21. So far none of them had decided to put up candidate against Mr Halim.

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