BHUBANESWAR: Former minister Pradip Amat is all set to take over as the Speaker of the assembly again.
Amat filed his nomination papers in the assembly today after the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) submitted notice for a motion for election to the post of Speaker of the assembly. The notice for the motion was submitted to the assembly AK Sarangi.
Amat's name had already been announced by chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik as Speaker after the exit of Niranjan Pujari from the post. Pujari was inducted as a minister in the reshuffle of the ministry on May 7.
The chief minister proposed Amat's name as Speaker which was seconded by parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukha in the notice submitted by the BJD to the assembly secretary.
Amat had also resigned from the ministry on May 6 as the finance, health and family welfare minister before the ministry reshuffle on May 7. The motion for election for the post of Speaker is scheduled to be moved in the assembly at 3 pm on Tuesday.
Amat was the Speaker of the assembly from May 25, 2009 to May 20, 2014. He took over as the finance minister on May 21, 2014.
However, leader of the opposition in the assembly Narasingh Mishra alleged that the ruling party had not consulted the Opposition political parties on Speaker's election. Describing this as unfortunate, Mishra said in a democracy the Speaker should be impartial and enjoy the confidence of both ruling and opposition political parties.
Leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo also criticised the ruling party for consulting the opposition on the issue.