Surma Padhi taking charge after becoming the Speaker
Bhubaneswar: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Surma Padhi was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly on Thursday. Padhi, a two-time MLA from Ranpur assembly constituency in Nayagarh district, was the only candidate for the post. As there was no other candidate, Padhi was elected unopposed. Pro tem Speaker RP Swain announced Padhi’s election in a special session of the Assembly and handed over the charge to her.
CM Majhi and Leader of Opposition congratulated
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and other members of the House congratulated the new Speaker of the Assembly. The Chief Minister congratulated the Speaker and appealed to all members, including the opposition, to cooperate with Padhi for the smooth functioning of the House.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said, “I congratulate you (Paadhi) as the 17th Assembly Speaker. I am confident that during your tenure as Speaker, you will maintain the dignity of this august House. I also hope that the members will cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House.” Congress Legislature Party leader Taraprasad Bahinipati and the only MLA of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) Laxman Munda also congratulated Padhi on being elected the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.
Surma Paadhi created history
Padhi is the second woman to become the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly after Pramila Malik of Biju Janata Dal (BJD). For the first time in the state, BJP has formed the government on its own. She is also the first woman speaker from BJP in the state. After being elected Speaker of the Assembly, Padhi said, “I express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for electing me as the Speaker of this dignified House. I belong to a simple family and I never thought that I would get such a prestigious post and responsibility. I am overwhelmed.
Who is Surma Padhi?
Padhi (63) has been elected MLA from Ranpur assembly constituency this time. She defeated BJD’s Satyanarayan Pradhan by a margin of 15,544 votes. Padhi was elected from Ranpur in the 2004 assembly elections and was the Cooperative Minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government led by Naveen Patnaik. In September 2023, senior BJD leader Pramila Malik created history by becoming the first woman Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The ruling BJP has 78 MLAs in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.
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