Bhubaneswar, June 13 : Veteran Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain has been appointed the pro-tem Speaker of the Odisha Assembly till the election of a full-time Speaker.

Ranendra Swain will take oath on Friday.

The pro-tem Speaker is appointed to act as the temporary Speaker when a new legislative session begins and till a full-time Speaker is elected.

The newly-elected MLAs are scheduled to take oath on June 18 and 19. The election for the full-time Speaker will be held on June 20.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Council of Ministers took oath at a grand swearing-in ceremony in Janata Maidan on Wednesday, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several Union Ministers and the Chief Ministers of nine BJP-ruled states.

The BJP won 78 seats in the recently-concluded Assembly polls, ending the 24-year BJD rule in Odisha.

/IANS