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Kishore Mohanty elected Speaker

BHUBANESWAR: Senior Biju Janata Dal leader Kishore Kumar Mohanty was formally elected 16th Speaker of Orissa Assembly on Tuesday.

Mr. Mohanty was elected to the post during a special sitting of the Assembly held on the eve of the monsoon session.

Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora, who conducted the proceedings, placed a motion before the House for election to the Speaker’s post.

In the absence any rival candidate, the motion was passed by voice vote electing Mr. Mohanty as the new Speaker.

Legislators of main Opposition Congress boycotted the proceedings when the motion was moved and put to vote.

The Congress members were angry as the ruling BJD-BJP coalition had not taken them into confidence while deciding their candidate for the post.

CPI legislator Narayan Reddy and NCP MLA Arun Dey, however, were present during the voting and supported the motion.

However, after the voting process was over Leader of Opposition J.B. Patnaik came inside the House and congratulated Mr. Mohanty when he assumed the Speakers’ Chair.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and a host of Ministers and legislators also greeted Mr. Mohanty on his election as Speaker.

BJD MLA from Puri Maheswar Mohanty, who had resigned as Speaker on March 31, attended the special sitting. Mr. Mohanty had stepped down in the wake of allegation of sexual harassment charge against him.

BJD legislator from Bari-Derabisi seat Debasis Nayak, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers in the wake of the sexual harassment controversy, was also present.

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