Gopal Bhargava appointed as pro-tem speaker of Madhya Pradesh assembly

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel on Thursday appointed BJP's senior-most state MLA Gopal Bhargava as the pro-tem speaker of the newly-elected legislative assembly.

Patel administered the oath of office to Bhargava at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhawan here in the presence of the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav among others.

In the state polls held last month, Bhargava (71) won from his pocket-borough Rahli in Sagar district for the ninth time in a row.

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.

Usually, the senior-most member of the House is made the pro-tem speaker.

On Wednesday, Mohan Yadav, who represents Ujjain South constituency, took oath as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.