India's new Lok Sabha holds first session

The first session of India's new Lok Sabha began yesterday in the capital with senior Congress leader Kamal Nath being appointed the pro tem Speaker.
Before entering parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will take oath as a first-time MP tomorrow, told the media that "in this temple of democracy we will work for the hopes and aspirations and the dreams of people”.
The proceedings of the House began on a sombre note with Kamal Nath reading out a condolence message for the Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde, who died in a car accident in the Capital on Tuesday.
Amid thumping of desks, Modi, 63, walked into the Lok Sabha as the victor closely followed by senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani.
Earlier, 67-year-old Kamal Nath was sworn in as the pro tem Speaker by President Pranab Mukherjee at a simple function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan which was attended by Prime Minister Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naid.
Nath sought consent of the members for taking up the oath taking exercise on Thursday. As the members agreed, Nath postponed the exercise for today.
Before adjourning for the day, the House observed silence for two minutes as a mark of respect to Munde.