Elected MLAs take oath in Arunachal, Speaker to be elected on June 15

Newly elected MLAs of Arunachal Pradesh took oath on Friday.

Pro-tem Speaker Ninong Ering administered the oath to the newly elected members during the inaugural day of the two-day special session summoned by Governor Lt Gen (Retd.) KT Parnaik.

Eleven of the newly elected MLAs took oath in Hindi.

Fifty-nine of the 60 MLAs took oath during the day, while Ering was administered the oath by the governor on the previous day.

As many as 35 members of the outgoing assembly were re-elected while five former members also got elected this time. There are 20 fresh faces in the current assembly.

A total of four woman candidates were also elected to the assembly in the April 19 polls.

Ering, while congratulating the elected members, advised them to perform their duties diligently to keep the tradition of the House and the aspirations of the people alive.

"Participate in healthy deliberation and debates to uphold the dignity of the temple of democracy," Ering said.

The House also observed a two-minute silence for all the former members who have died.

The Speaker and Deputy Speaker would be elected on Saturday.

The ruling BJP bagged 46 seats in the 60-member House, while the National People's Party (NPP) won five seats and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured three seats.

The People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two seats and the Congress one. There are also three Independent MLAs.