Bhubaneswar: With the Speaker of new Odisha Assembly yet to be elected, Athgarh BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain has been appointed as pro-tem Speaker.
Odisha Governor Raghubar Das has appointed 8-time MLA Swain as the pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Assembly. Swain is scheduled to take oath as the pro-tem Speaker in the Raj Bhawan on Friday.
A former minister, Swain in the capacity of as Pro-tem Speaker will administer oath of office to the newly-elected MLAs in the Assembly on June 18 and 19.
The nominations for Speaker election of the new Assembly will be submitted on June 19 while the election is scheduled on June 20. BJP MLA from Ranpur Surama Padhy is set to become the new Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.
It may be noted that Pro-tem Speaker is a temporary speaker appointed for a limited period to conduct proceedings in state legislatures. The Pro-tem Speaker is normally elected for the first sitting of a new Legislative Assembly where the Speaker is yet to be elected.