Odisha Assembly Winter Session Abruptly Adjourned Sine Die After Brief 4-day Run

Bhubaneswar: The Winter Session of the Odisha Assembly was abruptly adjourned sine die, 26 working days ahead of its scheduled end on December 30. The session commenced on November 21 and was originally intended to last for 30 days.

The motion to adjourn the House was introduced by Prashanta Muduli, the chief whip of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the Odisha Assembly. Muduli’s motion was seconded by BJD MLAs Sashi Bhusan Behera and Bhupinder Singh. However, members of the opposition BJP and Congress expressed their disapproval by staging a walkout.

Despite the Assembly only transacting business for four days during the Winter Session, Speaker Pramila Mallik adjourned the House sine die. The decision has raised eyebrows and garnered attention due to its premature conclusion.

Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Niranjan Pujari announced a contentious decision made by the Odisha Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The Cabinet had initially approved amendments to certain provisions of Regulation-2 of the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property Amendment Regulation. These amendments aimed to simplify the transfer and mortgage of land belonging to scheduled tribes (STs).

However, in response to strong criticism from opposition parties, the government decided to withdraw its decision.