Bhubaneswar: The first session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly is scheduled to commence on Monday, with the newly formed BJP government in the state, headed by CM Mohan Charan Majhi.
The Assembly session will commence with the address of Governor Raghubar Das.
Following tradition, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi convened an all-party meeting on Sunday, seeking the cooperation of the members for the smooth functioning of the House.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, in a rare gesture of statesmanship, visited Naveen Niwas, the residence of former CM and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik, and invited him to attend an all-party meeting, aiming to foster a spirit of cooperation for the harmonious transaction of the Assembly.
On LoP’s behalf, the all-party meeting was attended by the Chief Whip of Biju Janata Dal and former speaker, Pramila Mallik, whereas no representatives from Congress and the Communist Party of India were present during the meeting.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the session; the Odisha police have deployed a 30-platoon force under the supervision of DCP, Bhubaneswar. DGP Arun Sarangi reviewed the security arrangements on Sunday.
Notably, the election for the Deputy Speaker is scheduled to be held on July 24, while the BJP government will present its first budget for the 2024-25 financial year in the assembly on July 25.
The budget session will continue from July 22 till September 13.
