Gujarat assembly deputy speaker polls: BJP's Purnesh Modi, Cong's Shailesh Parmar in the fray

BJP MLA Purnesh Modi and Congress legislator Shailesh Parmar on Friday filed nomination papers for the post of deputy speaker of the Gujarat assembly, polls for which will take place on February 16, the first day of the Budget Session of the House. Modi is expected to win since the BJP has an overwhelming majority with 162 seats in the 182-member assembly, while the Congress has just 12 legislators. The polls have been necessitated by the resignation of incumbent Jethabhai Bharwad in December last year citing his ''busy schedule''. State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani accompanied Modi when the latter submitted his form to assembly secretary CB Pandya at the assembly secretariat in Gandhinagar during the day. Talking to the reporters, Vaghani expressed confidence that Modi will become the next deputy speaker of the assembly. Later, Congress leader Shailesh Parmar filed his candidature in the prescribed form. He told reporters though his party does not have the required strength in the House, he had filed his nomination to ''uphold constitutional values and assembly traditions because this post is usually given to the opposition''. Modi, a three-time MLA, represents Surat West Assembly constituency. He won the by-elections from the seat in 2013 and later went on to retain it in 2017 and 2022. He came into the limelight in 2019 when he filed a criminal defamation case against Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi for a speech invoking the Modi surname to compare Prime Minister Narendra Modi with fugitives like Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi. The Budget Session of the Gujarat assembly will start from February 16 and continue till March 25, with the Budget for 2026-27 being presented by Finance Minister Kanu Desai on February 17. The session will have 26 sittings, as per an official release.