(Repeating CA20 with correction in para one)

Ranchi, Sep 20 (UNI) Taking a defensive stand over opposition NDA's demand to elect a permanent Speaker, officiating Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu today said he was appointed rpt appointed according to the constitutional provisions.

Talking to reporters here after the confidence motion, Mr Balmuchu said he was nominated by the Governor as an officiating Speaker despite the post of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker lying vacant.

''Therefore I held the right to conduct the proceeding of confidence motion,'' he asserted.

Refuting the opposition charge of violating the spirit of the Constitution, he said the NDA members were making it an issue today but the post of Deputy Speaker was lying vacant from their regime only.

The post of Speaker fell vacant after the resignation of Inder Singh Namdhari on September 14.

Earlier, when the trust vote was to be taken up in the house, Mr Namdhari(JD-U) along with former Chief Minister Arjun Munda and a few other party MLAs, demanded election of the Speaker first.

But Mr Balmuchu stuck to the agenda of trust vote which was done without any special debate.

The opposition NDA preferred to abstain from voting and the lone CPI(ML) member Vinod Kumar Singh cast his vote against the UPA-backed Madhu Koda government.

The confidence motion began at about 1100 hours and was completed in ten minutes.

The house was later adjourned sine die.

UNI AM PL KLC/SRC1622