Ranendra Pratap Swain Appointed Odisha's Pro-tem Speaker

Ranendra Pratap Swain has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Odisha Assembly. His appointment precedes the election for the regular Speaker on June 20. Swain, a former minister, will be sworn in by Governor Raghuvar Das and will administer the oath to newly elected members.

Ranendra Pratap Swain, an eight-time MLA and a former minister, was appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Odisha Assembly on Thursday, according to official sources. This appointment comes ahead of the regular Speaker elections slated for June 20. Governor Raghuvar Das will administer the oath to Swain on Friday at Raj Bhavan.

Officials stated that the newly elected members of the assembly would be administered their oaths by the Pro-tem Speaker over two days, on June 18 and 19. The nomination for the Speaker election is scheduled to be received at 11 am on June 19, preceding the actual election set for June 20.

Sources indicate that senior BJP leader Surama Padhy is the front-runner for the Speaker position of the 17th Assembly. The BJP has formed the government in Odisha by securing 78 out of the 147 seats in the Assembly. The BJD achieved 51 seats, Congress secured 14 seats, followed by Independents with three, and one seat by CPI(M).