By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is finding it tough to find a legislator who is willing to become the speaker of the assembly since most of them want cabinet berths, party officials said Tuesday.
BJP leader Premprakash Pandey, who was the last assembly speaker, cannot continue in the position since he lost the November election although the party retained power with 50 seats in a 90-member legislative body.
Chief Minister Raman Singh is expected to announce names of his ministerial colleagues later this week. Party sources said about 20 senior leaders are making all efforts to be chosen for the 13-member council of ministers.
BJP leaders said they want a dominant politician to be the next assembly speaker. Three people, including former forests and revenue minister Brijmohan Agrawal, were requested to take up the post but they refused.
“We favour a strong leader with a sound educational background for the speaker’s post but all want to be ministers,” a BJP leader said.
He added that the party is now trying to convince Other Backward Castes (OBC) leader and former Lok Sabha MP Chandrasekhar Sahu to become the speaker.