Shillong/UNI: Thomas Ampang Sangma of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is all set to be elected unopposed as Speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly, an official said on Tuesday.

Commissioner and Secretary to the Assembly, Andrew Simons said that Sangma was the only nomination received for the election to the office of Speaker, scheduled to be held in the House on March 9.

“Sangma is all set to be elected unopposed as Speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly since no other nomination was received till 4 pm today (March 7), which was the deadline fixed to present papers for the election,” Simons told UNI over the phone.

Sangma, a former Rajya Sabha member, was re-elected as a member of the Meghalaya Assembly from the North Tura seat defeating his nearest rival of the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Adamkid Sangma of the BJP in this election with a margin of 3,739 votes.

“I am thankful to Chief Minister and MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance)!chairman Conrad Sangma for having faith and trust in me to occupy the Speaker’s post of the assembly,” Sangma said after filing his nomination papers at the assembly.

In his last term as an MLA, Sangma was the Adviser to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

Taking to his microblogging site, the Chief Minister wrote, “Wishing Sh. Thomas A Sangma, Speaker nominee of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly the very best.”

The MDA 2.0 government is led by the NPP with 26 legislators in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. The coalition government is supported by 11 United Democratic Party legislators, two legislators each from the Bharatiya Janata Party, People’s Democratic Front, and Hill State People’s Democratic Party, besides two Independent legislators.

NPP sources said that Protem Speaker Timothy Dalbot Shira will also be the MDA’s candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker.

In the previous Assembly, UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh was elected as Speaker, while Shira was his Deputy.