According to Assembly Secretariat officials, the orientation programme will be held on June 16 and 17, ahead of the first session of the 17th Assembly, which is scheduled to commence on June 18 with Governor Rajendra Arlekar's Address.

Officials said that of the 234 MLAs in the Assembly, around 145 are first-time legislators, accounting for nearly 61 per cent of the House strength.

The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which secured 107 seats in the Assembly election, has the highest number of newcomers. Of its 107 legislators, as many as 101 are first-time MLAs. Only a handful of members, including senior leaders such as Assembly speaker JCD Prabhakar, KA Sengottaiyan, N Subramanian, MV Karuppaiah and Reddiarpatti V Narayanan, have previous Assembly experience.

In addition to the TVK legislators, several newly elected members from the AIADMK, DMK and other parties will also participate in the programme.

"Considering the large number of first-time legislators, the Speaker felt it was important to familiarise members with the functioning of the House, legislative procedures and parliamentary conventions. While the programme is primarily intended for new MLAs, experienced members are also welcome to participate, " an Assembly official said.

The induction programme will include sessions on Assembly rules, legislative business, question hour procedures, debates, committee systems, and the standards of conduct expected of members inside the House.

Officials noted that the 17th Assembly has recorded one of the highest proportions of first-time legislators in recent decades, largely due to TVK's entry.

By comparison, the previous Assembly had significantly fewer newcomers, with experienced legislators dominating the House. Officials described the present Assembly as one marked by a strong presence of young and first-time representatives.