Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Legislative Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes today as some opposition legislators disrupted the proceedings, disregarding the decorum of the house. In a dramatic turn of events, the lawmakers approached the Speaker’s chair, shouting slogans and creating a ruckus. A video of the incident has gone viral, showing Speaker Surama Padhy visibly uncomfortable as she tried to manage the uproar in the assembly.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The 20-second clip captures the tense atmosphere, with Speaker Padhy, seated on the dais, struggling to maintain order amidst the chaos created by the opposition members. The opposition in Odisha has been vocal about the spurious liquor issue, which has recently been in the spotlight. Several deaths were reported in the past few days due to the consumption of toxic liquor, prompting the opposition to attack the BJP government.



Representing the Ranpur constituency in Nayagarh district, Surama Padhy was the sole candidate for the Speaker's post and was elected unopposed. At the time of her election, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik, and other members of the Assembly extended their congratulations and best wishes to her.


Surama Padhy is a seasoned leader of the BJP. According to reports, Padhy joined the BJP in 1988. Her entry into the state assembly occurred 20 years ago when she was elected as an MLA from the Ranpur seat in Nayagarh district in 2004 on a BJP ticket. From 2004 to 2009, she served as the Minister of State for Cooperation (Independent Charge) in the then BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha. At 63, Padhy was elected as the MLA for the Ranpur constituency once again, defeating BJD's Satyanarayan Pradhan by a margin of 15,544 votes. 


The ruling BJP currently holds 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly.