Odisha assembly to get new LoP before monsoon session

Bhubaneswar, Jun 28: Days after getting a new speaker, government chief whip and parliamentary affairs minister, the Odisha assembly is also likely to have a new Leader of Opposition in the ensuing monsoon session which commences on July 2.

The BJP Legislature Party is likely to elect a new LoP as the present leader and Bhawanipatna MLA Pradipta Kumar Naik has been hospitalised for over a year after getting infected with COVID-19.

The saffron party, which will hold its two-day state executive meeting on June 29 and 30, may take a decision on selecting the new Leader of Opposition.

Former minister and Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra, chief opposition whip and Keonjhar legislator Mohan Charan Majhi and Deoghar lawmaker Subhas Panigrahi are some of the names making rounds for the post, party sources said.

Since Naik hails from western Odisha, there are chances that the new LoP will also be from the region, where BJP is better positioned than in coastal or southern Odisha, they said.

Mishra and Majhi are from the western region.

BJP MLA Kusum Tete has recently said that BJP Legislature Party needs a new LoP as Naik has not been able to attend assembly sessions due to his ailing health.

The BJP MLAs have sent a proposal for the new LoP to party chief J P Nadda and state president Samir Mohanty.

Since several important issues need to be raised during the monsoon session when a full-fledged budget will be presented, the BJP needs a leader to put across the party's views and suggestions, party sources said.

Tete has said that there are several experienced MLAs who are capable of being the LoP, and that the final decision will be taken by Nadda.

The monsoon session of the assembly will begin on July 2. Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari will present the full budget for 2022-23 fiscal. The session will continue till August 4 with 24 working days.

Newly elected Speaker B K Arukha has convened an all-party meeting on June 29 before the commencement of the monsoon session.

PTI