BHUBANESWAR: As the monsoon session of the Assembly is only 10 days away, speculation is rife about the next Deputy Speaker, election for which will be held on August 17, the first day of the session.The BJD and its allies have nearly three-fourths majority in the House of 147 and the election for the post will only be a formality. But it remains to be seen whether the Opposition parties will field any candidate.Sources, however, said the Congress is yet to decide whether it will field its candidate. If the Congress does so, the party may not get the support from BJP MLAs, who may abstain. The names of two BJD MLAs, Sananda Marandi and Sarojini Hembrum, are doing the rounds. Both the MLAs are from Mayurbhanj district. Marandi is a second time MLA from Baripada. He had won from Kuliana constituency in 2004 on a BJP ticket. He crossed over to BJD in 2009 and contested from Baripada. Sarojini Hembrum is a first-timer from Bangiriposhi constituency. Sources said the post may go to Marandi if the party leadership goes by the decision not to put up a first-timer. However, several senior leaders maintained that Hembrum’s name is under consideration. But the post will certainly go to a tribal leader, a senior party leader said. The post has fallen vacant after Lalbihari Himirika was sworn in as a Cabinet minister in the May, 2011 reshuffle.Similarly, former MLA from Kalahandi, Dhaneswar Majhi, is likely to be appointed the next chairperson of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC). The post has fallen vacant since July 30. The name of former speaker Kishore Mohanty was also under consideration. Sources, however, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wants a tribal leader as WODC chief.
Comments
0 comment