Bhubaneswar, June 20: Former minister and senior BJP leader Surama Padhy was elected as the new Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, making her the second woman to hold this prestigious position.
Padhy filed her nomination papers for the Speaker post in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida yesterday.
Padhy was first elected to the Odisha Assembly from the Ranpur seat in Nayagarh district on a BJP ticket in 2004. She also served as a minister of state in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha from 2004 to 2009.