Gujarat Assembly Pro Tem Speaker to take oath on January 23

The process of convening of the new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will begin with the administration of oath to the Pro Tem Speaker on January 23, a Minister said on Friday.

The Pro Tem Speaker will take oath in the presence of Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Pradipsinh Jadeja said.

The Pro Tem Speaker will then officially convene the 14th Assembly, more than a month after the declaration of election results on December 18, and also administer oath to the newly elected legislators at the state Secretariat complex the same day.

"The first full session will be called in the second week of February, after the Cabinet's decision is arrived at. The Budget Session is slated to begin in the third week of February and will continue till March 31," the Minister said.

The new Bharatiya Janata Party government, led by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, took over a month to convene the session.

"In case of a clear majority, it is government prerogative to decide when to call the first session of the new Assembly. Also, they may be waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart's proposed visit to the state," Shaktisinh Gohel, senior Congress leader, said.

--IANS

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