Who among the following has held the office of the Protem Speaker, Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Ramkishore Shukla. Records of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly show Shukla served as Deputy Speaker on two separate occasions (spanning periods between 1968 and 1984), and later as Speaker (1984–85), in addition to serving as Pro-tem Speaker — making him the one figure among these four documented as having held all three offices. He also held Cabinet portfolios including Finance and Law & Legislative Affairs.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Kunji Lal Dubey was Madhya Pradesh's first and longest-serving Speaker (1956–1967) — the state's founding Speaker — but is not documented as having also held the Deputy Speaker or Pro-tem Speaker offices.  (c) Kashi Prasad Pandey served as the Assembly's 2nd Speaker (1967–1972), but is not documented as having also held the Deputy Speaker or Pro-tem Speaker offices.  (d) Tejlal Tembhre served as the Assembly's 3rd Speaker for a brief term of under five months in 1972, but is not documented as having also held the Deputy Speaker or Pro-tem Speaker offices.

Concept: The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, like other state Houses, has three related but distinct presiding offices: the Pro-tem Speaker (a temporary presiding officer who administers the oath to newly elected members and oversees the election of the regular Speaker right after a fresh Assembly is constituted), the Speaker (the House's permanent presiding officer, elected by its members), and the Deputy Speaker (who presides in the Speaker's absence). Very few individuals go on to hold all three across a single career — most MLAs who reach the Speaker's chair are elected directly to it, or serve only as Deputy Speaker.

State PCS 2021 Q78 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q78 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer