Amaravati: Thammineni Seetharam of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was on Thursday (June 13) unanimously elected as the Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Seetharam was elected from Amadalavalasa constituency in Srikakulam district and was declared elected to the post by the Protem Speaker C Appala Naidu on the second day of the first session of the new state Assembly.

Since Seetharam did not have any opponents as he was the only person who had filed the nomination for the post of Speaker.

Several leaders, including Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), greeted Seetharam and accompanied him to the chair.

TDP president and former state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also congratulated Seetharam and recalled that the latter had entered politics during his student days, responding to a call given by TDP founder NT Rama Rao.

Seetharam, a six-time MLA, began his political career with the TDP. He served as a minister in the cabinets of both Rama Rao and Naidu in the 1980s and 1990s.

He had joined the Praja Rajyam Party floated by actor Chiranjeevi in 2009 but lost the elections. In 2013, he joined YSRCP but was defeated in 2014.

The 64-year-old was elected as a YSRCP MLA in the recent elections. He is the fourth leader from Srikakulam to become the Speaker.