President Droupadi Murmu to address Odisha Assembly today, marking start of winter session

President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in Bhubaneswar today to deliver a special address to the State Legislative Assembly, coinciding with the first day of the winter session. This is going to be the first time that a sitting President will address the Odisha Assembly, marking a historic moment in the state’s legislative proceedings.

According to reports, after delivering her address, President Murmu will spend some time in the Assembly’s Room No. 11, a chamber that served as her office when she was an MLA and held positions in the Fisheries Department and Transport Minister between 2000 and 2004.

Sources informed that the Assembly premises, including Room No. 11, have been specially decorated ahead of her visit. Police have enforced extensive security arrangements and traffic restrictions in the capital city to facilitate her movement.

Winter Session to Begin Today

The Winter Session of the Odisha Assembly will commence today with the President’s address scheduled as its inaugural event.

On the second day of proceedings, the House will take up the Supplementary Budget. Speaker Pramila Mallik has sought cooperation from all parties during an all-party meeting, urging a smooth and constructive debate during the session.

The Speaker held discussions with both the ruling and the Opposition legislators, while parties prepared strategies separately to press for floor time on key issues.

Opposition Outlines Attack Plan

Both BJD and Congress have framed plans to put the government on the defensive inside the House.

The BJD has decided to raise issues surrounding agriculture, law and order, women’s safety, recruitment scams, alleged mafia operations and concerns linked to Mission Shakti. The party intends to push for equal floor time in debates and has insisted that Opposition voices receive adequate space.

Congress MLAs have separately resolved to focus on women’s harassment cases, electoral malpractice, farmer-related concerns, unemployment and recruitment matters during the session.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has also chalked out a counter-strategy to respond to the Opposition charges and defend the state government’s actions on key subjects expected to dominate debates over the next several days, informed sources.

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As Bhubaneswar prepares to host the President, police forces have been deployed at multiple intersections, and movement restrictions have been notified for several routes around the Assembly.

Senior security agencies have jointly inspected convoy routes; rehearsals for the President’s arrival were conducted on Tuesday evening.