Pro tem Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was on Wednesday morning administered oath as Lok Sabha member by President A P J Abdul Kalam, enabling him to preside over the proceedings of the first two days of the House when new members take oath.
The newly elected members will take oath under the pro tem speaker-ship of the 75-year-old Communist Party of India-Marxist leader.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ministers of State Suresh Pachouri and Suryakanta Patil, Lok Sabha secretary general G C Malhotra and Rajya Sabha secretary general Yongendra Narain were present in the Yellow Drawing Room of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the brief function.
On June 4, Congress leader Balasaheb Vikhe Patil will be the pro tem speaker when the new speaker will be elected.
With the NDA giving its consent to Chatterjee's candidature for speaker, he is likely to be elected unanimously.
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