Pramila Mallick Nominated as First Woman Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly

Pramila Mallick Nominated as First Woman Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly

In a historic move, Pramila Mallick, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, is poised to become the first woman speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) officially announced Mallick as its candidate for the esteemed position on Wednesday. Mallick, a six-time MLA representing Binjharpur in Jajpur district, is set to file her nomination papers on Thursday, with the election scheduled to take place on Friday.

Notably, there will be no contest for the position, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opted not to field a candidate, and the Congress lacks the requisite numbers. The BJD holds a substantial majority in the 147-member house, with 113 members, while the BJP and Congress have 22 and nine members, respectively. The post of speaker had remained vacant for over four months following the resignation of Bikram Keshari Arukha, who was appointed as the Finance Minister in the last cabinet reshuffle by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Expressing her delight at the nomination, Pramila Mallick affirmed her commitment to conducting house proceedings impartially.
 

Mallick brings extensive administrative experience to the role, having served as the Women and Child Development Minister for seven years, from 2004 to 2011. She also held the position of Government Chief Whip for three years, from May 30, 2019, to June 6, 2022. Her political journey began when she was elected as a Janata Dal MLA from Binjharpur in 1990, and subsequently, she secured victory in five consecutive elections from the same constituency.

Originally scheduled for September 21, with the filing of nominations on September 18, the election date was rescheduled to September 22, and the nomination filing deadline was moved to September 21 due to the boycott announced by the BJP and Congress, as it was coinciding with the Nuakhai festival.