Pramila Mallik, a six-time MLA and senior Biju Janata Dal leader, has been elected as the Speaker of Odisha Assembly. She is the first woman to hold this position. The announcement was made by the Speaker in-charge Rajanikant Singh at a special session before the start of the monsoon session. The opposition parties, BJP and Congress, did not nominate any candidates for the election. Pramila’s installation as the Speaker was moved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and seconded by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Niranjan Pujari. Naveen Patnaik expressed his confidence in Pramila and thanked her for being the first woman Speaker in Odisha Assembly.
In her first speech as the Speaker, Pramila thanked all the members and requested their cooperation for smooth proceedings. She promised to uphold the dignity of the House. Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra congratulated Pramila and hoped that she would be impartial in her role as the Speaker. BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi expressed pride in Pramila for becoming the first woman Speaker of Odisha Assembly.
Pramila, who represents the Binjharpur Assembly segment, resigned as Revenue and Disaster Management minister to run for the Speaker’s post. She was the only candidate for the election as no opposition party fielded anyone against her. The Speaker position became vacant after the resignation of Bikram Keshari Arukha in May. The election was initially scheduled for September 21 but was rescheduled to September 22 due to opposition parties’ boycott threat during the ‘Nuakhai’ festival.
As the first woman Speaker of Odisha Assembly, Pramila will preside over the monsoon session from September 22 to October 4. She has been a prominent figure in politics since 1990 when she became a Janata Dal MLA. Pramila later joined BJD and has won five consecutive Assembly elections. She served as the Women and Child Development Minister and government chief whip before being elected as the Speaker.
