New Delhi: Senior most Lok Sabha member Manikrao Gavit has been appointed Protem Speaker by President Pratibha Patil.
Seventy five-year-old Gavit, who belongs to Congress, will perform the duties of the Speaker till the election of a new Speaker on June 3.
Nine-term member Gavit, having a cumulative experience of 27 years and eight months in Lok Sabha, was elected from the tribal constituency of Nandurbar in Maharashtra and had served as Minister of State for Home in the UPA government.
The President also appointed a panel four senior members -- Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M), Arjun Charan Sethi (BJD), Biren Singh Engti (Congress) and Sumitra Mahajan (BJP) -- to administer oath to the new members.
The President made these appointments on Friday, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said today.
The first person to be administered oath will be Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee followed by Leader of the Opposition L K Advani.