Finance
Bikram Keshari Arukha, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA from Bhanjanagar Assembly Constituency, was elected Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly today.
The election for Speaker took place during a special session of the Assembly.
The ruling BJD has 113 members in the House, while the opposition BJP and Congress have only 22 and 9 members, respectively, of the total 147 assembly seats. Because no opposition members filed nomination papers for the Speaker election, the BJD legislator was elected unopposed, becoming the Odisha Assembly’s 21st Speaker.
Following the election, the House was adjourned.
Arukha served as Odisha’s Forest and Environment Minister before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik restructured the Council of Ministers on June 5. On the CM’s orders, he had to resign from his position.
Along with the ministers, senior BJD leader Surjya Narayan Patro resigned from his position as Speaker, citing health concerns.
Arukha filed his nomination for the position of Speaker on June 10.
