Jayachandra is the Pro-Tem Speaker of the State Assembly and he will continue until the formal election of the newly named Speaker. Patil, Congress MLA from Rona in Gadag, is the ruling Congress party’s choice for the Assembly Speaker post. The discussions during the 10-day Session are expected to focus heavily on State Cabinet expansion, Portfolio allocation and regional concerns such as Cauvery river water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu, the execution of Mekedatu balancing reservoir project and local governance matters.