4 leaders from Srikakulam became Speakers

Srikakulam : Srikakulam constituency has a rare distinction of sending four of its leaders as Speakers of Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

Rokkam Narasimham Dora was elected as the second speaker of AP State Assembly of the undivided Andhra Pradesh. He was senior Congress leader and served as speaker from April 23,1955 to December 1956. He was elected as MLA from Tekkali Assembly segment on Congress ticket. Bezavada Gopal Reddy was the Chief Minister.

TDP senior leader Tangi Satyanarayana served as Speaker during former CM NT Rama Rao’s regime. He was elected as MLA from Srikakulam in 1983 elections. Earlier, he was elected as MLA on Congress ticket from Srikakulam in 1967.

As Speaker, he issued a ruling on September 19, 1983 regarding publication of Assembly proceedings in news papers. He gave a ruling, saying that what happens in the Assembly should reach people.

Later, TDP senior leader Kavali Pratibha Bharathi set a record as the first woman Speaker of AP Assembly. She served as the Speaker from November 11, 1999 to May 30, 2004. At that time, Nara Chandrababu Naidu was the CM.

She conducted marathon discussion on development of backward areas in the Assembly for 16 hours continuously on September 13, 2004. She was elected as an MLA consecutively for five times from Etcherla segment as TDP nominee.

Another senior leader, Tammineni Sitaram assumed charge as the second Speaker for the residuary AP State Assembly on May 30, 2019. He was elected as MLA from Amadalavalasa segment as YSRCP candidate in 2019 elections.

Earlier, Sitaram was in TDP and he was elected as MLA from Amadalavalasa segment five times. Later he left the party and joined the erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi. As he was unable to adjust there, he returned to TDP and again switched loyalty to YSRCP.