June 19th 2024.
On Wednesday, in the city of Bhubaneswar, a significant event took place as Senior BJP leader and Ranpur MLA Surama Padhy filed her nomination paper for the position of Speaker in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, as well as deputy chief ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Padhy arrived at the office of Dasarathi Satpathy, the secretary of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, to submit her nomination paper.
This decision was preceded by a unanimous decision from the BJP legislature party, who had agreed that Padhy was the best candidate for the role of Speaker. In fact, Odisha Parliamentary Affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling informed reporters that the Chief Minister had even reached out to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, requesting their support for Padhy's candidature.
Given that the opposition BJD had not nominated any candidate against Padhy, she is likely to be declared as the Speaker of the 17th OLA on Thursday. This is a significant milestone as Padhy will become only the second woman to hold this position in the state, following in the footsteps of Pramila Mallik from the BJD who served as the Speaker in the 16th OLA.
Padhy's journey to this point has been remarkable. She was first elected to the Odisha Assembly from Ranpur seat in Nayagarh district on a BJP ticket in 2004. Her hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed as she was also appointed as a Minister of State with Independent charge in the Cooperation department in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha from 2004 to 2009.
This year, the BJP has managed to form a government of its own in Odisha, winning 78 seats in the 147-member assembly. The BJD has 51 MLAs, Congress has 14, CPI has one, and there are three independent members. However, the BJP's strength has been further strengthened by securing the support of three independent MLAs, bringing their total to 81 in the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Overall, Padhy's nomination for the position of Speaker is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and the trust placed in her by her party and colleagues. As she prepares to take on this new role, all eyes will be on her as she leads the OLA towards progress and success.
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