Odisha: Road clear for Arukha to become next speaker

BHUBANESWAR: Six-time BJD MLA from

Bhanjanagar

, Bikram Keshari Arukha, is set to be unanimously elected as the next speaker of the state assembly as he is the only one to have filed his nomination on Friday.

The election to the post of the speaker will be held on Monday as a special one-day session of the state assembly has been convened for the purpose.

Arukha, who had held several key portfolios, including that of the crucial parliamentary affairs as a minister in the past, will replace

Surya Narayan

Patro, who had resigned on June 4 citing health issues.

Speaking to media persons after filing his papers, the Bhanjanagar MLA said he will make all efforts to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the sacred house.

“I thank chief minister Naveen Patnaik for proposing my name for the prestigious post. I will seek the cooperation of all, including both the treasury and opposition benches, for the smooth conduct of the assembly,” Arukha said.

Arukha has a vast experience of parliamentary and house proceedings as he has been winning the Bhanjanagar assembly constituency since 1995. Besides heading several departments as a minister, he was also a part (chairman/member) of various committees of the state assembly in the past.

Arukha would be the fifth speaker from the state’s largest populous Ganjam district. While Ganjam’s Lingaraj Panigrahi had served as the speaker of the assembly from 1961 to 1967, Somanath Rath had assumed the office from 1980 to 1984. Similarly, Chintamani Dyan Samantara had served as speaker from 1996 to 2000, while Surya Narayan Patro held the office from 2019 until recently.

The next session of the state assembly will commence on July 2 with finance minister Niranjan Pujari presenting the full annual budget for the 2022-23 financial year on the first day.