Former minister Bikram Keshari Arukha likely to be crowned as Odisha Assembly Speaker

With former Minister and senior BJD leader Bikram Keshari Arukha being left out from the newly formed cabinet of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, speculations are rife that he could be the next Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. 

When asked, the Bhanjanagar legislator said if any responsibility is given to him he would discharge it with integrity and sincerity. 

“I have been a member of the Assembly for last 27 years. In past, I had the opportunities to be the Chief Whip and Parliamentary Affairs Minister. In the absence of the Speaker, I would step into his shoes and discharged my duties with utmost sincerity,” Arukha Said. 

“If I am given the opportunity to be the Speaker of the Assembly, I am confident that I could perform my job successfully,” Arukha added. 

Worth mentioning, Jagatsinghpur MLA Prashant Muduli and Patnagarh MLA Saroj Meher are likely to be made Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the ruling party respectively. 

Notably, all 20 Ministers of the ruling BJD party had resigned from their respective posts on Saturday. Along with them, Surya Narayan Patro had also resigned from his post of Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly due to health issues.