Speaker Nadendla Manohar Welcomed

Nadendla Manohar officially occupied the seat of the Speaker of the Assembly at 11:35am.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was the first person to address the Speaker, congratulating Manohar on his victory. He informed the Assembly that Manohar was a childhood friend of his, and that the latter had always displayed leadership qualities, even as a kid. He also revealed that Manohar was a national level tennis player in his youth.

Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed confidence that Manohar would do the position of the Speaker proud.

Opposition leader and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu also congratulated Manohar, and was quick to clarify that he did not harbour any harsh feelings against the latter (for winning over the TDP contestant K E Krishnamurthy).

Next in line to formally congratulate Manohar was Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) President Chiranjeevi. He stated that the fact that one as young as Manohar (47) was appointed the Speaker proved that age is not the all-important factor when it comes to holding a position of power, and that capability counts.

Pasha Khadri, an Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader, and Communist Party of India's (CPI) Mallesh brought up the rear.

Mallesh, however, informed the Speaker that his party felt that it was pitiable that even the members of the Assembly have to learn about important issues related to the Assembly by reading about it in the paper along with the politically inactive public. He stressed upon the importance of keeping Assembly leaders in the loop while taking any important decisions.

Devoid of all the ruckus that reigned the house while J C Diwakar Reddy served as the protem Speaker, Nadendla Manohar maintained order in the Assembly, and various leaders went on to congratulate him and address issues.