Bhubaneswar: Newly-elected legislator from Pipili, Rudra Pratap Maharathy, took oath as Member of the Legislative Assembly here on Tuesday. He was administered the oath by Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro.
The Speaker handed over a copy of the Assembly Rules Book and Identity Card to the new member.
Maharathy won the Pipili by-poll on Sunday, defeating his nearest rival Ashrit Pattnaik of the BJP by over 20,000 votes.
Maharathy secured 96,972 votes, while Pattnaik bagged 76,056 votes. Congress nominee Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra got 4,261 votes.
At least 10 candidates were in the fray for the by-poll which was either countermanded or deferred thrice before September 30. The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year.
