Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi on Monday night appointed Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president and legislator Pradeep Kumar Balmachu as the officiating speaker of the state Assembly.

The governor administered the oath of office to Balmachu at a simple function at the Raj Bhavan.

An officiating speaker was necessitated by the resignation of Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari coinciding with the resignation of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government on September 14.

The deputy speaker's post is lying vacant.