Govt Chief Whip to be Orissa Speaker

Bhubaneswar, Aug 18 (UNI) State government chief whip Kishore Mohanty is all set to be the new Speaker of the Orissa Legislative Assembly.

Mr Mohanty's name was today proposed by state Parliamentary Affairs and Panchayati Raj Minister Raghunath Mohanty and Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal in a notice of motion submitted before the Secretary of the Assembly.

Embroiled in a controversy of sexual harassment charge by suspended Orissa Assembly lady marshal Gayatri Panda, Mr Mohanty had resigned from the Speaker's post in March after the lady marshal filed an FIR in the Mahila police station here on March 27.

Mr Mohanty's resignation was immediately accepted and Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora was asked to officiate the Speaker's post till a new Speaker was elected.

Official sources said during the filing of notices for the Speaker's post, only Mr Mohanty's name was proposed by the ruling BJD-BJP combine through a notice of motion.

Mr Mohanty, who has been holding the chief whip post, would be formally nominated to the Speaker's post tomorrow as the short session of the Orissa Assembly has been convened from August 20.

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