Bhubaneswar, June 18: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, took their oaths as members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. Following tradition, they, along with other newly-elected MLAs, paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi upon arriving at the Assembly. The Assembly is under a three-tier security system for the three-day oath-taking ceremony that began this morning.
Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also took oath as MLA.
Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain administered the oath to the new members, with the process continuing until June 19. The election for the Speaker of the Assembly is scheduled for June 20. As many as 102 MLAs took oath today.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 Assembly seats, while the BJD won 51, Congress 14, CPIM 3, and Independents 3. The Assembly now includes 82 first-time MLAs.
BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik is expected to be unanimously elected as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) during the party's first legislature meeting on Wednesday. A senior leader from the party is likely to be chosen as his deputy in the House.
