The first session of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh commenced hereon Monday with recently elected MLAs, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Deputy CMs Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla, and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, being sworn in as members of the House.

Pro-tem Speaker Gopal Bhargav, senior most BJP MLA, administered the oath to the new members. Among those who took oath on the first day of the four-day winter session were BJP nominee for the Speaker’s post — Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel (both former Union Ministers), BJP national general secretary and MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya, and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar, who was announced the Leader of Opposition by Bhargav.

Tomar also filed his nomination for the post of Speaker and is expected to be elected unanimously after the Congress has extended its support to him. However, no nomination has been filed for the post of Deputy Speaker.

While the swearing-in of the new members will continue on Tuesday, the House will formally elect the regular Speaker on Wednesday. The same day, Governor Mangubhai Patel is also scheduled to address the House.

Later, addressing presspersons, the chief minister said that it was a positive message that the ruling side and the Opposition submitted the nomination for the Speaker’s post together.

“I welcome the Opposition’s positive move and hope that it will play a constructive role (in the House),” he said. Yadav also said that the government was currently working on a roadmap for the cultural revival of various religious places across the State such as the Ujjain’s Mahakal Lok, Orchha and Maihar.

Meanwhile, Singhar said that despite the low numbers in the Assembly, the Congress will continue to raise the issues of the public. “We have our Legislative Party meeting scheduled for today (Monday) evening where we will discuss all the issues in the State and prepare our strategy (to raise them),” he said speaking to reporters.