Odisha Assembly welcomes new leadership with oath taking ceremony

Bhubaneswar, June 18: In a special session that commenced on Tuesday, newly elected members of the Odisha Assembly took their oaths. Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain oversaw the proceedings, beginning with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Later, reports confirmed the oath-taking of two deputy Chief Ministers, Kanak Vardan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida. Additionally, former Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik, now poised to lead the opposition for the first time in his political career, also took the oath.

All 147 newly elected MLAs are scheduled to take their oaths on June 18 and June 19, with the election for the new Speaker set for June 20. Speculation is circulating that senior BJP leader Surama Padhi may be nominated as the BJP's candidate for the Speaker’s position.

In the recently concluded Assembly polls, the BJP secured 78 seats, ending the BJD's 24-year rule in Odisha. The BJD won 51 seats, while the Congress secured 14, CPI(M) one, and Independents three. In the previous Assembly, the BJD held 113 seats.