All-Party Meeting Held Ahead of Odisha Assembly Budget Session

Bhubaneswar: Leaders from various political parties gathered on Sunday for an all-party meeting convened by the state government ahead of the budget session of the Odisha Assembly, which is set to begin on Monday.

The budget session will start with an address by Governor Raghubar Das.

“Detailed discussions were held on the suggestions made by the leaders of all the political parties during the meeting to ensure the smooth conduct of the current session of the 17th Odisha Assembly,” said Speaker Surama Padhy, who chaired the meeting.

“The new government’s first session is going to begin on Monday. We hope that the house will run smoothly under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the guidance of Speaker Padhy,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling told the media.

In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, Chief Minister Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo visited the residence of former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Sunday, inviting him to attend the all-party meeting.

“Today morning, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met the LoP Naveen Patnaik at his home and invited him to participate in the all-party meeting. Chief Minister Majhi also urged Patnaik to attend the assembly session regularly and offer his constructive suggestions to the government,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahaling.

Although the LoP did not attend the meeting, the Chief Whip of the Biju Janata Dal and former Speaker Pramila Mallik represented the party. Mallik reported that the leaders deliberated on how to run the house smoothly and peacefully.

However, opposition leaders from the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were notably absent from the meeting.

The election for the Deputy Speaker post is scheduled for July 24, while the BJP government will present its first budget for the 2024-25 financial year on July 25.

The budget session is set to continue from July 22 until September 13.

-IANS