3-day special session of Odisha Assembly begins, CM & new MLAs take oath

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took oath as member of Odisha Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

Keeping with the tradition, he along with his deputies KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida and other newly-elected MLAs paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on arriving at the Assembly, which has been put under a three-tier security system for the 3-day oath-taking ceremony, this morning.

Mahi first took oath as MLA after which two deputy CMs were administered oath by Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain. BJD president and Hinjili MLA Naveen Patnaik also took oath along with several other MLAs. The oath-taking ceremony will continue till June 19. The election for the Speaker will be held on June 20.

In the recently-concluded elections, the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 of 147 Assembly seats. The BJD won 51, Congress (14), CPIM 3, and Independents 3. The House has as many as 82 first-time MLAs.

Naveen is expected to be unanimously elected as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) with the regional outfit scheduled to have its first legislature party meeting on Wednesday. One of the senior leaders of the party is likely to be his deputy in the House.