Lucknow, Jan 31 (IANS): Kunwar Manvendra Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Deputy Chairman and Executive Chairman of the Legislative Council, has been made the pro-tem Speaker of the Uttar Pardesh Legislative Council.

He was administered the oath of office by Governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhavan on Sunday.

The tenure of Ramesh Yadav, the current chairman of the council, ended on Saturday.

The Samajwadi Party had met the Governor on Saturday and sought elections for the Speaker's post.

Samajwadi members outnumber the BJP and can easily win the Speaker's elections. The SP, at present, has 51 members while the BJP has 32.

After taking oath, Kunwar Manvendra told reporters, "I was a pro-tem Speaker between 2002 and 2004. It is the job of the Chairman to ensure that the rights of the members of the opposition are protected and the functioning of the government should not be obstructed. I am well aware of this responsibility."