GUWAHATI, June 1 - The 14th Assam Assembly began today with the administration of oath to the newly elected legislators.
The Assembly has a strength of 126 members.
Pro-tem Speaker Phani Bhushan Choudhury administered the oath of office to the legislators.
As if testifying to the State�s vibrant ethnic diversity, the legislators took their oaths in as many as seven languages � the break-up being 11 in Bodo, 13 in Bengali, five in English, three in Sanskrit, two in Hindi and one in Nepali and the remaining in Assamese.
Even greater variety and vibrancy marked the dress of the new legislators. Actress-turned-politician Angoorlata Deka � a first-time BJP legislator from Batadroba � took her oath in Sanskrit, dressed in a traditional gold-coloured Assamese bridal attire bedecked with jewellery.
The enthusiasm among the young first-time legislators was evident who used the occasion to hog the media limelight.
Gurujyoti Das, the Mangaldoi MLA, entered the House in a traditional groom�s dress. Teras Goala, the Duliajan legislator, chose to exhibit his concern for the environment, as he entered the Assembly precincts riding a bicycle. While leaving, he had company in the form of another legislator who rode pillion.
Inside the House, it was after a gap of 15 years that the treasury bench witnessed a change, as the BJP legislators took charge replacing the Congress.
