Surama Padhy Tapped as New Speaker of Odisha Assembly

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader Surama Padhy is set to take on the role of the new Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.

Following Mohan Charan Majhi’s swearing-in as Odisha Chief Minister alongside his cabinet on Wednesday, the BJP is now focusing on selecting a new Speaker for the state Assembly.

Sources within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indicate that Surama Padhy’s selection for the Speaker’s position is a strategic move, considering her extensive experience and track record. Despite facing three consecutive electoral setbacks, Padhy secured victory in the recent elections from the Ranpur Assembly constituency, defeating Satyanarayan Pradhan of the Biju Janata Dal by a margin of 15,544 votes.

At 63, Surama Padhy last clinched victory in the Ranpur seat in 2004, during which she also served as the Cooperation Minister in the Naveen Patnaik-led BJP-BJP alliance government. A native of Ranpur, Padhy completed her Master of Arts degree in 1982 from the then Ravenshaw College.