Guwahati : The first session of the newly elected 16th Assam Legislative Assembly will begin on May 21 at the Assembly Chamber in Dispur, according to an official notification issued by the Assembly Secretariat.

The notification, issued on the orders of Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, stated that the session will commence at 9.30 am.

“In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 174 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Assam has summoned the first session of the Sixteenth Assam Legislative Assembly to meet on May 21 at the Assembly Chamber in Dispur,” the notification said.

Meanwhile, senior BJP legislator Chandra Mohan Patowary was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker by the Governor on Friday. He will administer the oath to the newly elected MLAs during the opening sitting of the Assembly.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier stated that the four-day session would continue till May 26. Apart from the swearing-in of legislators, the election of the new Speaker is also scheduled to take place during the session.

The ruling NDA has nominated senior BJP leader Ranjeet Kumar Dass for the Speaker’s post. Dass had previously served as Speaker after the BJP-led government came to power in Assam in 2016.

Governor Acharya is also expected to address the House on the opening day of the session.

The NDA returned to power in Assam for a third consecutive term with a two-thirds majority in the recently concluded Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 82 seats, while its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front, won 10 seats each in the 126-member Assembly.