Former health minister and five-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Sirmaur, Rajeev Bindal was on Wednesday unanimously elected as Speaker of Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

The Congress Party, which is in the Opposition, did not put up a candidate and backed Bindal for the coveted post.

After his election was announced by Protem Speaker Ramesh Dhawala, Bindal was escorted to the podium by leader of the House, Jai Ram Thakur and CLP leader, Mukesh Agnihotri.

“I will try to do justice to my duties as a Speaker. I know how much a person has to struggle to reach here. I will protect the rights of MLAs as per laid down rules. I will try to take everyone along,” Bindal said in the House.

Bindal, who turns 63 on 12 January, referred that the Himachal Pradesh Assembly has a changed look this time and many people, who played their role over the last two decades in the state, are not here now. “There is fresh blood and young leadership has come to fore,” he said. Quoting Vivekananda, he hoped that the new government will forge ahead not to look back and will keep patience.

He sought the support of senior and experienced members of the House in running the Assembly.

An Ayurvedic doctor and a strong organisation man, Bindal is a politician with a vision and administrative capacities.

Bindal, who was a member of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) in his college days, after obtaining his degree in 1978, went on to work with ‘Ho’ tribals in extremely backward tribal area of Jharkhand, where he ran a free-clinic, hostel and other services to bring the poorest of poor folks to the mainstream. Later, he started his practice in home town Solan in 1983.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur, described Bindal as a hard working BJP man with roots in RSS. “We have spent 18 years together in Vidhan Sabha. I have seen that whatever the party has assigned him, no matter how small it may be, he does his duties with commitment and hard work,” said Thakur.

Thakur said Bindal has won two consecutive polls even outside his district, which reflects his strengths as a leader.

CLP leader, Mukesh Agnihotri congratulated Bindal on his unanimous election and said now he was not of any party, but custodian of the House. He appreciated Bindal as a member of the House, who would always do his homework before speaking anything.

Agnihotri said the BJP Legislature Party’s role, while in Opposition previously, was not positive and it did not allow the House to run many a times. “You have not set good tradition while you were in the opposition,” he said.

Agnihotri said he hoped the Speaker would look into the problems in MLA flats.

Bindal happens to be the second Speaker of HP Assembly from Sirmaur district.