The Congress on Monday chose a Hindu face, Rana Kanwarpal Singh, as the Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Punjab Governor VP Singh Bandore administered the oath of office and secrecy to Rana KP at Punjab Raj Bhawan as pro-tem Speaker as member of the 15th Vidhan Sabha.
A lawyer-turned-politician Rana Kanwarpal Singh will be the second leader from the Hindu community after Brahm Mohindra — the second-in-command to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the cabinet — to be given a covetable post. The 59-year-old MlA from Anandpur Sahib and a three-time legislator, Rana took oath in Punjabi in the presence of the Capt Amarinder. As pro-tem Speaker, he will administer the oath to all other elected members of the legislative assembly when it convenes for its maiden session on March 24. The MlAs would be administered oath in the Vidhan Sabha on March 27. The members will then elect him as Speaker.
“The Governor, while exercising his powers under the Article 188 of the Constitution of India, appointed Rana Kanwarpal Singh as the Pro Tem Speaker, who will in turn administer the oath to all other elected members of the legislative assembly when it convenes its maiden session later this week,” said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office.
A law graduate from Dehradun University, Rana was a lawyer at Rupnagar district court before joining politics. He became Punjab Youth Congress president and then won his first state elections from the Nangal seat in 2002 assembly polls on Congress ticket when he defeated senior BJP leader Madan Mohan Mittal by more than 12000 votes.
He was first appointed as chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and then the Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the then Congress Government.
In 2007 polls, he again emerged victorious from Nangal assembly constituency by defeating Madan Mohan Mittal but lost out in 2012 polls to Mittal from Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency.