BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar took oath as the pro-tem speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Friday at the Raj Bhavan. The swearing-in took place a day before the special three-day session of the Lower House of the state legislature is set to begin. Governor C P Radhakrishnan administered the oath to Kolambkar.
Kolambkar currently represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai. As the pro-tem speaker, he will be responsible for administering the oath of office to 288 newly-elected MLAs. He will also oversee the assembly speaker's election during the special session of the 15th assembly, which starts on December 7.
The speaker’s election will take place on December 9. This will be followed by a trust vote for the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis assumed office as the state chief minister on Thursday evening. BJP leaders Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were sworn in as deputy chief ministers during a grand ceremony held at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.
The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP Mahayuti coalition secured a strong victory in the recent assembly elections held on November 20. The alliance won 230 out of 288 assembly seats.
The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature is scheduled to take place in Nagpur from December 16 to December 21.