Congress leader Shanimol Osman was elected Deputy Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the state in 35 years.The Aroor MLA defeated Left Democratic Front (LDF) nominee and CPI MLA Muhammad Muhsin in the election held in the Assembly.The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which enjoys a comfortable majority in the 140-member House with 102 MLAs, secured the Deputy Speaker’s post without difficulty.Shanimol secured 99 votes, while Muhsin received 34. The three BJP MLAs abstained from voting, while Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan did not cast his vote, in keeping with convention.Shanimol represents the Aroor constituency in Alappuzha district, while Muhsin is the MLA from Pattambi in Palakkad district.The election took place during the first session of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly, which commenced on May 21. Earlier, on May 22, senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was elected Speaker with 101 votes.With this, Kerala has a woman Deputy Speaker after a gap of 35 years. Shanimol is the fourth woman to occupy the office in the state’s Legislative Assembly.The first session of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly resumed today. There will be no Question Hour. However, Zero Hour, Calling Attention motions and Adjournment Motions have been included in the Assembly’s proceedings.The issues of displacement at Malayidam Thuruthu and pre-monsoon sanitation and cleaning activities would be raised through Calling Attention motions in the Assembly. The opposition was also expected to raise the issue of rising fuel prices. The LDF would submit a notice for an Adjournment Motion, which would be taken up during Zero Hour.