Bhubaneswar: Amid a three-layer security cover, the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly commenced on Tuesday.
A three-day short session of the Assembly has been convened by the Assembly secretariat for the oath-taking, which will continue for two days until June 19, with the election of the new Speaker to be held on June 20.
Senior BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain, who has been sworn in as Pro tem Speaker by Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, administered the oath to the newly elected MLAs.
This was the first session after the formation of the new BJP government, which was sworn in on June 12.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by his two deputies, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, entered the state assembly, went to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside the Assembly complex, and offered floral tributes to Bapuji.
Swain administered the oath first to the Chief Minister and his two Deputy Chief Ministers, after which the cabinet ministers and MLAs took the oath.
Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has ruled the state for five consecutive terms since 2000, also arrived in the Assembly to take the oath. He will sit in the opposition for the first time in his political career.
Actor-turned-politician Sidhanth Mohapatra, who was elected from the Digapahandi Assembly seat as a BJP candidate, came to the Assembly on a bicycle.
Assembly sources said of the 146 MLAs, 83 entered the house for the first time, and will be taking the oath during the two days.
Odisha DGP Arun Sarangi, Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda, and other senior officers are supervising the security arrangements in and around the Assembly.
At least eight platoons of police forces, besides the anti-terrorist squad and anti-sabotage squad, have been deployed for the oath-taking ceremony.
