Tammineni Seetharam elected Andhra speaker

Tammineni Seetharam, a former two-time MLA of Telugu Desam Party who later joined YSR Congress Party and won the recent elections, was elected unanimously as Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Thursday morning in a session where words were exchanged between Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Seetharam, hailing from the Backward Class community, was a TDP MLA from Amuduvalasa in Srikakulam district in 1994 and 1999. In 2004, he contested on a TDP ticket but lost to the Congress’s B Satyavathi. In 2009, he contested on a ticket of the Praja Rajyam Party, started by actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi, but lost. In 2014, after joining YSRCP, he lost to TDP’s K Ravi Kumar. However, he was given a ticket again and won this time.

Protem Speaker S V China Appala Naidu declared Seetharam’s election during the session.

After taking charge, Seetharam said Andhra Pradesh would emerge as a trendsetter in implement the anti-defection law. He said that any MLA wishing to join to the ruling YSRCP would be asked to resign and contest elections again.