UDF nominee N Sakthan elected Kerala assembly speaker

Thiruvananthapuram, March 12: Kerala assembly's former deputy speaker N Sakthan, fielded as the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) nominee for the post of speaker, was on Thursday elected through the ballot.

He secured 74 votes while his opponent and two time CPI-M legislator Ayisha Potti secured 66 votes.

The election was necessitated after speaker G Karthikeyan, who was battling cancer, died on last Saturday.

The veteran Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru for liver related ailments, passed away on Saturday morning. He was 66 and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Condoling his demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will be remembered as a grassroots leader who dedicated his life to people.

"My condolences to the family and well-wishers of Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan on his demise. May his soul rest in peace," he said.

Karthikeyan will be remembered as a grassroots leader, who dedicated his life to serving the people of Kerala, he added. Congress President Sonia Gandhi also expressed grief over Karthikeyan's demise.

IANS