Bhubaneswar, Jun 18, 2024, IANS

Bhubaneswar, June 18 (IANS) Newly elected members of the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday took oath during a special session that started on Tuesday. Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain first administered the oath to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Later, two deputy CMs -- K.V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida -- took the oath. The Pro-Tem Speaker also administered the oath to former CM and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik, who is going to play the role of opposition for the first time in his political career. Notably, all 147 newly elected MLAs are scheduled to take the oath on June 18 and 19 while the election for the new Speaker will be held on June 20. Speculation is rife that senior BJP leader Surama Padhi is likely to be fielded by the party as its candidate for the Speaker's post. The BJP won 78 seats in the recently concluded Assembly polls ending the 24-year BJD rule in Odisha. The BJD won 51 seats, Congress 14, CPI(M) three and Independents three. In the last Assembly, the BJD had 113 MLAs.