Karnataka Assembly: UT Khader Selected as Speaker

After the finalisation of Karnataka Chief Minister and its cabinet, Congress leader UT Khader was nominated as the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday. Karnataka Assembly: UT Khader Selected as Speaker

UT Khader won the Vidhan Sabha election for the fifth time. He is likely to file a nomination for the post on Tuesday morning. Formalities of signing the nomination papers extending support to the leader will be done by CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

The nomination has come as a surprise as there were rumours of names like RV Deshpande, TB Jayachandra, and HK Patil to be announced as the next Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.

According to reports, State Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and National General Secretary KC Venugopal met UT Khader and discussed the matter with him.

Karnataka New Speaker UT Khader Details:

Name: UT Abdul Qader Farid

Father’s Name: UT Fareed (Four time MLA 1972,1978,1999,2004)

Mother Name: UT Naseema Farid

Date of Birth: 12-10-1969

Educational Profile: UT Khader completed his education at Roshani Nilayam, St. Geroza from class one to four, St. Aloysius from class four to high school, pre-graduation at Mahaveera College, Moodbidiri and then SDM, Mangaluru. Completed BA, LLB from Law College.

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Political profile

Served as NSUI District General Secretary in 1990, NSUI District President from 1994 to 1999, NSUI State Vice President from 1999 to 2001.

Participated in National Level Seva Dal Training Camp held at Ghataprabha in 2003, National Level Seva Dal Training Camp held at Kandaghat, Himachal Pradesh in 2004 and was selected as Additional Chief Adviser of Seva Dal in 2005. Later as KPCC member, he was elected as KPCC Secretary in 2008.

Electoral politics

In 2008, he contested in the by-election for the MLA seat vacated by his father’s death and was elected as an MLA. He was then elected as MLA for five consecutive times in 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2023. He also won Sadan Veer and Shining India Award for his best performance in the Legislative Assembly during the period from 2008 to 2013.

He served as the Health Minister in the Siddaramaiah government from 2013 till 2016. During this period, he implemented revolutionary projects like gutka ban, bike ambulance, 108, Aarogyasree, Danta Bhagya, dialysis unit in government taluk hospitals, and won the best health minister award given by the central government. .

After assuming power as the Food Minister from 2016 to 2018, he cut down the 10 to 13 documents that the poor had to submit for the ration card and created history by launching a revolutionary project to deliver the ration card to the doorstep by applying only through Aadhaar card. Many helped to get ration card.

In the coalition government of 2018, he took office as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing and introduced many projects including Mangalore Smart City.

In 2021, he was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and served till 202