Congress' UT Khader files nomination for Karnataka speaker

Ex-Karnataka minister and five-time lawmaker UT Khader on Tuesday filed nomination papers for the post of Speaker in the newly elected Karnataka Assembly. The Congress secured a big win in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election - the Bharatiya Janata Party was trounced by 135 seats to 66 - and has been slowly buildings its administrative and legislative team since, with eight MLAs sworn in as ministers alongside Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. The party reportedly considered several options before opting for Khader to become the presiding authority of the new Assembly; these names included RV Deshpande, HK Patil and TB Jayachandra, Congress lawmakers from the Haliyal, Gadag and Sira constituencies. The Congress MLA holds a law degree and served as the health, food and civil supplies minister during Siddaramaiah's first term as chief minister - between 2013 and 2018.