Newly elected MLAs take oath in Odisha assembly

Protem Speaker V Sugnani Kumari Deo today administered the oath of office to the newly elected MLAs in the 15th Odisha Legislative Assembly.

Sources said, 138 MLAs took oath today and the balance will be sworn in on Saturday.

First to take oath was Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik and he was followed by his council of ministers and legislators of the Opposition parties.

Earlier Deo, elected from Kabisuryanagar constituency in Ganjam district, was appointed protem speaker as she is the senior most legislator in the 147 member assembly.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Patnaik has registered a landslide victory in the 2014 assembly polls bagging 117 seats. Congress and BJP managed to win only 16 and 10 seats, respectively. CPM and Samata Kranti Dal won in one seat each while two seats went to independents.

Patnaik and his 21 ministers were sworn in by Governor, SC Jamir on May 21.

After taking the oath, senior Congress leader Narsingh Mishra, along with his other party MLAs, made a courtesy call to the chief minister.

New speaker for the state assembly will be elected on Monday. The names doing the rounds for the post of speaker are former minister and ex-Rajya Sabha MP, Mangala Kisan and Binjharpur MLA, Pramila Mallick.