G Karthikeyan is UDF Speaker nominee

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Veteran Congress leader G Karthikeyan will be the UDF nominee for the Speaker's post even as the UDF meeting here on Monday could not take any decision on the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the Deputy Speaker.With the Congress and the constituents sticking to their stand, it has been decided to put off further discussions on this till June 22.The Congress was firm at the meeting that a fifth nominee of the IUML in the government was impossible and it should be content with the Chief Whip post. It also urged K M Mani to accept the Deputy Speaker post. However, with the IUML insisting on the fifth Minister, Mani has also demanded a third Cabinet berth for his party.In the talks held before the UDF meeting separately with the IUML and KC(M) leadership, the Congress leadership made it clear that there was no question of giving the Speaker post to any of the constituents. In the end a consensus was reached only on this issue.During the UDF meeting in the evening, it was decided to propose the name of Karthikeyan as the UDF nominee for the Speaker post. KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala proposed Karthikeyan's name in the meeting and it was supported by Mani and P K Kunhalikutty.After the meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that all issues would be settled in the UDF meeting scheduled for June 22."The UDF will settle all demands of the constituents through discussions. There will be no dispute over posts of the Deputy Speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Minister. All issues would be resolved amicably," he added.The UDF meeting also decided to chart out a 100-day programme of the government for which all Ministers have been asked to prepare a plan. The Cabinet meeting on June 1 will take a final decision on this. The meeting also decided to reconstitute all the corporations and the boards in the state before August 18.