Newly elected Deputy Speaker Shanimol Usman in the Kerala Legislative Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: Jayamohan A
Congress leader Shanimol Usman was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (June 2, 2026).
Ms. Usman, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, won the contest with 99 votes. Her opponent, CPI leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Muhammed Muhassin, secured 34 votes. The three National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members in the Assembly abstained from voting. Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan too did not cast a vote.
The election was conducted in adherence to the prescribed voting procedures in the Assembly, wherein ballot papers were distributed to the legislators. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan was the first to cast his ballot, followed by Industries and Information Technology Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph.
After the counting of votes, the Speaker formally announced Ms. Usman’s election as Deputy Speaker, following which she proceeded to occupy her allotted seat beside Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan.
The House then proceeded with its scheduled business.
Published – June 02, 2026 10:10 am IST
