BJP MLA Ramvichar Netam appointed pro-tem speaker of Chhattisgarh assembly

Raipur: Senior BJP MLA Ramvichar Netam was on Sunday sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the newly-elected Chhattisgarh legislative assembly.

Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan administered the oath of office to 61-year-old Netam at a function held at the Raj Bhawan here.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy CMs Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, Congress legislature party leader Charan Das Mahant, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and various officials were present at the occasion.

The first session of the sixth assembly of Chhattisgarh is scheduled to start from December 19.

Pro-tem speaker is a temporary speaker appointed for a limited period of time to conduct the business of the House in the absence of a regular speaker.

Netam won from Ramanujganj seat in the recently held state assembly elections, defeating Congress' Ajay Tirkey by a margin of 29,663 votes.

A six-term MLA, Netam was also elected as the Rajya Sabha member in 2016.

He served as a minister twice in the Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh (2003 and 2008).