5-time MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania to be next speaker of Himachal Assembly

Five-time MLA from Bhattiyat Kuldeep Singh Pathania is all set to be the next Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Pathania submitted his nomination papers to Vidhan Sabha secretary Yash Pal in the presence of senior leaders including HPCC president Pratibha Singh. Three sets of nomination papers were filed for him. His name was proposed by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and was seconded by the leader of the opposition in the house and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur.

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Pathania will be formally elected as Speaker. He was elected to the Assembly in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2022. He had contested as an Independent in 1993 and 2003. The first session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh legislative Assembly started on 4 January 2023 in the state capital Shimla. It is a three day session.  Jaiwant Ram was the first speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

About Himachal Pradesh:

• Himachal Pradesh is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems.
• Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south.
• The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi, meaning ‘Land of Gods’ and Veer Bhoomi which means ‘Land of the Brave’.

Important facts about Himachal Pradesh:

• Himachal was made the eighteenth state of India on 25 January 1971 under the Himachal Pradesh State Act, 1971.
• Legislative Assembly seats- 68
• Rajya Sabha seats- 3
• Lok Sabha seats – 4
• Major rivers and dams– Sutlej (Bhakra Dam, Gobind Sagar Reservoir, Koldam Dam), Vyas (Pandoh Dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar Reservoir), Ravi (Chamera Dam), Parvati
• Major Lakes– Renuka, Revalsar, Khajjiar, Dal, Beas Kund, Dasaur, Brighu, Parashar, Mani Mahesh, Chander Tal, Suraj Tal, Kareri, Sarolsar, Govind Sagar, Nako Lake
• National Parks– Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga, Inderkilla and Simbalbara National Parks