Mankal Vaidya, Umashree elected unopposed to Karnataka Legislature’s Deputy posts

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Aug 18, 2026: Congress MLA and former minister Mankal Vaidya was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while Congress MLC Umashree was unanimously elected Deputy Chairperson of the Karnataka Legislative Council.

Vaidya’s name was proposed by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and seconded by Minister Laxman Savadi. Speaker G S Patil subsequently declared him elected unanimously after a voice vote.

The Deputy Speaker’s post had fallen vacant following the resignation of Rudrappa Lamani, who stepped down after being inducted into the Shivakumar-led cabinet during its recent expansion.

The Congress had earlier named MLA A S Ponnanna as its nominee for the post, but he was later appointed Political Secretary to the Chief Minister with cabinet minister status. Vaidya, the Bhatkal MLA and former Ports and Fisheries Minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government, had also been considered for induction into the cabinet before being replaced by former minister S S Mallikarjun.

Meanwhile, Umashree, who filed her nomination on Monday, was unanimously elected Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council.

Umashree has had a remarkable journey from theatre and cinema to electoral politics. Born in 1957 in Navanagar village of Tiptur taluk in Tumakuru district, she grew up in poverty and studied up to SSLC before later earning an MA in Political Science from Karnataka State Open University at the age of 54.

She was nominated to the Legislative Council in 2001 and served until 2007. After an unsuccessful Assembly election bid from Teradal in 2008, she won the seat in 2013 and served as a minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, handling Women and Child Development, Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens’ Welfare, and Kannada and Culture portfolios.

Umashree returned to the Legislative Council in 2023. Congratulating her, Leader of the House Yathindra Siddaramaiah described her as a role model for women who overcame poverty and numerous challenges to establish herself as an acclaimed actor and politician.

Yathindra highlighted her achievements in theatre and cinema, noting that she had received the Karnataka State Film Award six times, the Karnataka Nataka Akademi Award and the National Award for her performance in Gulabi Talkies. He also praised her pursuit of higher education later in life, saying her journey demonstrated that there is no age limit for acquiring knowledge.