Bhubaneswar: Eight-time Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.

Governor Raghubar Das has appointed Swain, a BJD legislator, as the Pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Assembly in Odisha.

Swain is scheduled to take oath as the Pro-tem Speaker at the Raj Bhawan in the capital city here on June 14 (Friday).

As the Pro-tem Speaker, Swain will administer oaths to the newly-elected MLAs at the Odisha Assembly on June 18 and 19.

The Speaker of the Odisha Assembly will be elected on June 20.

Ranpur MLA Surama Padhy is set to become the new Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.

Padhy (67) has been named as the candidate for the Speaker’s post by the BJP after the party formed government in the state by defeating the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in the 2024 polls.

Padhy was first elected to the Assembly from Ranpur segment on a BJP ticket in 2004.

She had also served as a Minister of State with independent charge for the department Cooperation in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha for the second term from 2004 to 2009.

The BJP has won 78 Assembly seats of the total 147 in Odisha in the 2024 elections while the BJD managed to secure 51 seats.

Candidates of the Congress party came victorious in 14 constituencies while four seats went to independent nominees.