List of speakers of the Punjab Legislative Assembly
In the Republic of India, the various central and state legislatures are presided by either a Speaker or a Chairman. The Speaker is elected in the very first meeting of the Punjab Legislative Assembly after the General elections for a term of 5 years from amongst the members of the Vidhan Sabha. The Speaker holds office until either he ceases to be a member of the Vidhan Sabha or he himself resigns. The Speaker can be removed from office by a resolution passed in the Vidhan Sabha by an effective majority of  its members. In the absence of a Speaker, the meeting of Punjab Legislative Assembly is presided over by the Deputy Speaker. The incumbent Speaker is Rana Kanwar Pal Singh and the deputy speaker is Ajaib Singh Bhatti of Indian National Congress. Powers and functions of the Speaker. Following are the functions and position of Speakers. Deputy Speaker. The Deputy Speaker is the vice-presiding officer of the Vidhan Sabha. Acts as the presiding officer in case of leave or absence caused by death or illness of the Speaker. List of Deputy Speakers. Color keys for the Party of Deputy Speaker  Pro tem Speaker. After a general election and the formation of a new government, a list of senior Members in Vidhan Sabha prepared by the Legislative Section is submitted to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who selects a pro tem speaker who holds the office of Speaker until a full time speaker is elected. However, in Punjab mostly the pro tem speaker become the full time Speaker. The appointment has to be approved by the Governor. The first meeting after the election when the speaker and the deputy speaker are selected by members of the Vidhan Sabha is held under  the pro tem Speaker. In the absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker acts as speaker. In the absence of both, a committee of six members selected by the speaker will act as speaker according to their seniority. The eligibility criteria to become the Speaker of the Assembly are: In Punjab Legislative Assembly mostly Pro-tem speaker is elected as Speaker.