Mumbai: The three-day special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has begun today, with the swearing-in of newly-elected MLAs and the election of a new Speaker as key items on the agenda. The session will set the stage for the legislative plans of the newly-formed Assembly, which is gearing up for the winter session in Nagpur from December 16 to 21.

Kalidas Sulochana Kolambkar, a senior BJP MLA, was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the Assembly on Friday, just before the session commenced. This was followed by the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected members of the Legislative Assembly.

Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant spoke to the media ahead of the session and emphasized the importance of the day. "Today marks the oath-taking ceremony for the 288 MLAs elected in the recent Assembly elections. The Speaker’s election will take place soon, and discussions about the cabinet expansion will follow," he said. He also mentioned that the decision on ministerial appointments will be made by the Chief Minister, in consultation with the Deputy Chief Ministers.

Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel expressed his commitment to the development of his constituency, stating, "I will work tirelessly for the development of my area." Another Shiv Sena MLA, Ashok Dharmaraj Patil, thanked the voters of Bhandup West for re-electing him and promised to continue his development efforts.

BJP MLA Manisha Chaudhary, also sworn in on the first day of the session, expressed gratitude to the public for electing her for a third term, assuring that she would continue working for her constituency's development.

On the first day of the session, newly elected Shiv Sena MLA Amol Dhondiba Khatal arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan and paid his respects to the building as a mark of reverence.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the state legislature, is made up of 288 members elected from single-seat constituencies.

Earlier this week, Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. The ceremony took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a decisive victory, securing 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats. Shiv Sena and NCP also saw strong performances, winning 57 and 41 seats, respectively. However, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a setback, with Congress securing only 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 20 seats, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) claiming just 10 seats.