Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), June 19: Surama Padhy, MLA from Ranpur, has formally entered the race for Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, submitting her nomination on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers K V Singhdeo and Pravati Parida, along with other BJP legislators.
The election for the post is scheduled for June 20, following the swearing-in of House members. Currently, Pro-tem Speaker Ranendra Pratap Swain, an eight-time BJD MLA from Athagarh, holds interim responsibilities, while the opposition has yet to announce a candidate.
Chief Minister Majhi reportedly reached out to BJD president Naveen Patnaik seeking support for Padhy. If elected, she would become only the second woman after Pramila Mallik to assume this prestigious role. Pramila made history as Odisha’s first female Speaker in September 2023, winning her position unopposed.
Surama, aged 63, secured victory in the recent elections from Ranpur, overcoming Biju Janata Dal’s Satyanarayan Pradhan by a margin of 15,544 votes after several previous unsuccessful attempts. She previously represented the constituency in 2004 and served as Cooperation Minister in a BJP-BJP alliance government under Naveen Patnaik. A native of Ranpur, she completed her Master of Arts degree in 1982 from the former Ravenshaw College.
