Dilip Walse-Patil, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and a confidant of party chief Sharad Pawar, was Wednesday unanimously elected the speaker of the 12th Maharashtra assembly.
In a surprise development, Walse-Patil secured the support of Girish Bapat, the nominee of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine, enabling his unchallenged elevation to the post.
The election of Walse-Patil - in view of the majority enjoyed by the ruling Democratic Front government comprising the Congress and NCP - was a foregone conclusion.
Shortly after Walse-Patil's election, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, other ministers and leaders and members of all parties in the house congratulated the new speaker.
Based in Pune, Walse-Patil started his career as a personal assistant to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. He jumped into active politics and contested the 1990 assembly elections.
Walse-Patil has been a legislator four times and has handled important portfolios like education, energy and finance in the past two Congress-led governments in Maharashtra.