Bhubaneswar: The election to the post of Deputy Speaker will be held on November 21 with the commencement of the winter session of Odisha Assembly.
Secretary of the Legislative Assembly has sent a letter in this regard to all members of the House, informing them that the election will be held at 9.30 am.
The position fell vacant after Rajanikant Singh resigned on November 8, saying he was unable to participate in party activities ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“The Deputy Speaker post is a constitutional one, for which I was unable to participate in party activities. It was a pending decision. I stepped down in view of the upcoming actions. It will allow me to strengthen party’s organisation and reach out to the people,” he said soon after tendering his resignation.
A four-time MLA from Angul constituency, Singh had been serving as the Deputy Speaker of the assembly since 2019.
The winter session of the Assembly, on the other hand, will continue till December 30 and will have 30 business days. At least 23 days will be allocated for official business and six days for Private Members’ Business (Bills and Resolutions), according to the provisional calendar. The Assembly will remain closed on the occasion of Rasa Purnima on November 27 and Christmas on December 25. The House will not meet on November 25 and 26.
This is likely to be the last session of the Assembly before twin polls next year.