Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today) June 14: Governor Raghubar Das administered the oath of office to Ranendra Pratap Swain, an eight-time BJD MLA from Athagarh, as the pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly at Raj Bhavan on Friday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was present at the ceremony.
The role of pro-tem Speaker is temporary and involves presiding over the assembly until a permanent Speaker is elected. The newly-elected MLAs are scheduled to take their oaths on June 18 and 19, with the election for the full-time Speaker slated for June 20. “I will fulfill my duties and responsibilities until then,” stated Swain.
Sources suggest that senior BJP leader Surama Padhy is a leading candidate for the Speaker position.
Following the BJP’s victory with 78 seats out of 147 in the Assembly, Majhi, accompanied by two Deputy Chief Ministers, eight Cabinet Ministers, and five Ministers of State with independent charge, took their oaths in a prominent ceremony at Janata Maidan on Wednesday. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers from nine BJP-governed states.
