Congress MLA from Chitrakonda Mamata Madhi has been suspended from the party for not attending the Assembly on Wednesday as a result of which the party’s motion for the removal of Speaker was rejected without a discussion.
Congress which has a strength of 27 in the House could not muster 28 numbers to force a discussion as two of its MLAs Nihar Mahananda and Madhi remained absent.
Mahanand could not attend the House because of the polls in the Attabira notified area council (NAC) in his Assembly constituency.
The party had issued whip to all its members to be present in the House on Wednesday when the removal motion against Speaker Pradip Amat was to be moved. Basudev Majhi, the party MLA from Kotpad who is not attending Assembly because of illness, was brought in a wheel chair to the House to vote in favour of the motion.
The party got support from two independents, Jitu Patnaik and Braja Pradhan. But the motion fell through as it was one short of the required number. The BJP which has six members in the House and support of one independent did not support the motion. The suspension of Madhi was cleared by the party in-charge of Odisha Jagdish Tytler.
Madhi told mediapersons that she could not attend the Assembly as she was away in her constituency which is far away from the state capital.
“Though I had received a message that the motion against the Speaker would be taken up on April 3, I could not make it as I was inside the constituency,” she told mediapersons.