RAIPUR: Newly elected MLAs took oath as members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and his two deputies Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma were among the first to take oath of assembly membership.
For the time being Speaker Ram Vichar Netam, senior tribal leader and BJP MLA, administered the oath to all elected legislators in the House.
Around 30 MLAs including the CM, two Deputy CMs, and the leader of the opposition took oath in the regional Chhattisgarhi dialect. While one legislator took oath in Sanskrit, the remaining in the Hindi language. Among the 90 legislators, fifty first-timers took the oath.
Later five proposals were moved for electing former CM Raman Singh, 71, for the post of Speaker in the assembly. The four-time MLA from Rajnandgaon constituency Singh, who filed his nomination papers on Sunday, was unanimously elected as the Speaker. He had earlier resigned from his party post as the national vice-president.
The BJP has 54 MLAs and the Congress has 35 legislators and one seat bagged by the Gondwana Gantantra Party in the recently held assembly polls.
Congress party has appointed former Speaker Charandas Mahant as the new leader of the opposition.
On Wednesday, the Governor will deliver his speech in the House. According to the sources, the new BJP government led by Sai will table a supplementary demand of Rs 10000 crore for the current financial year on December 21, which will be the last day of the winter session.
CM Sai on Monday hinted that soon his cabinet team will be expanded with a mix of old and new faces.