Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his two Deputy Chief Minister and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have taken oath as Member of the 17th Legislative Assembly here today.
Senior most BJD MLA and Pro tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain has administered the oath to the CM, Deputy Chief Ministers K V Singh Deo & Pravati Parida, Minister and many newly elected MLAs.
The Chief Minister 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 the father of the nation.
The Pro Tem Speaker 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 and six-time MLA Naveen Patnaik also took oath from the Pro Tem Speaker. Patnaik sat in the opposition bench for the first time in his political career.
Actor-turned-politician and Digapahandi MLA from BJP Sidhanth Mohapatra, was seen coming to the Assembly on a bicycle. “I will try to come to the Assembly and Secretariat on my bicycle. We can also use public transport, bicycles if we have to cover a short distance. There is no need for law; rather, cooperation of all is needed,” he told media persons.
BJD MLA from Puri, Sunil Mohanty said he has taken oath as MLA today. The BJD had served people for a long time and this time, the people have formed the BJP government and voted for a change.
“The opposition also has a crucial role. When my father late Maheswar Mohanty had taken oath as MLA for the first time in 1995, he was in Opposition. Whatever the ruling party MLAs could not do, my father did the work. I feel a similar thing happening this time,” the first time MLA said.
Assembly sources said of the 147 MLAs, 83 entered the house for the first time, and will be taking the oath during the two days.
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.
This was the first session after the formation of the new BJP government, which was sworn in on June 12.
DGP Arun Sarangi, Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda, and other senior officers are supervising the security arrangements in and around the Assembly.