Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP lawmaker Surama Padhy was unanimously elected as new Speaker of the State Assembly.
Shrimati Padhy, a two-time MLA from the Ranpur in Nayagarh district, was the lone candidate for the post. She was elected unopposed as there was no other candidate filed nomination for the Speaker post.
Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain announced her election and handed over the charge to her in the special session of the Assembly.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers – KV Singh Deo & Pravati Parida, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipti and other members of the House escorted the new Speaker to her chair.
Shrimati Padhy is the second woman to become Speaker of the House after Pramila Mallick of BJD.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to all for electing me as the Speaker of this August House. I hail from a humble family and never thought of occupying such a prestigious post and responsibility. I am overwhelmed. It is our combined responsibility to maintain the dignity of this House. Therefore, I seek your cooperation. I will do my best to maintain neutrality with the cooperation of all,” Shrimati Padhy said.
The Chief Minister congratulated Surama Padhy on being elected as the Speaker of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly and expressed hope that she would maintain the dignity of the house and run it with impartiality.
Majhi further said, “We are all committed with dedication to serve the people of Odisha,” and appealed to the members of the house to extend their cooperation and support to the Speaker and maintain the decorum and dignity of the House.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said, “I am sure that during your tenure as Speaker, you will uphold the dignity of this August House. I also hope that the members will cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House.”
A two-time MLA, Surama Padhy was first elected to the State Assembly from the Ranapur Assembly seat in the 2004 elections and served as the Minister of State for Cooperation from May 18, 2004, to March 9, 2009, in the BJD-BJP coalition government headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
A Master’s degree holder in Home Science and a Law graduate, she joined the BJP in 1988 and served as the State BJP Mahila Morcha President from 1998 to 2000. She subsequently became the BJP Mahila Morcha National President for two years starting in 2002.
The BJP, which formed the government in Odisha for the first time, has a clear majority of 78 MLAs and the support of three Independents in the 147-member House. The BJD has 51 members, while the Congress has 14 MLAs and the CPM has one member.