Bhubaneswar: The inaugural session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly commenced on Tuesday with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected MLAs. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was the first to take the oath, followed by Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida.
Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain administered the oath to the new members. The ceremony will continue into tomorrow, with the election for the Speaker scheduled for June 20.
In keeping with tradition, MLAs, including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers, paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi before taking their oaths.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Hinjili MLA Naveen Patnaik, along with several other MLAs, also took their oaths of office.
The BJD is set to hold its first legislature party meeting on Wednesday, where they are expected to unanimously elect Naveen Patnaik as the Leader of Opposition (LoP). A senior BJD leader is likely to be appointed as his deputy in the House.