Bhubaneswar, Jun 19 (IANS): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Minister Surama Padhy on Wednesday filed her nomination for the Speaker's post in the Odisha Assembly.

She filed the nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy CMs K.V. Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and other party leaders.

The 63-year-old senior leader’s name was declared following a meeting of the BJP MLAs here in the morning. CM Majhi proposed her name which was later approved unanimously.

Padhy was earlier elected to the state Assembly from the Ranpur constituency in Nayagarh district during 2004-2009. She was also the Minister of State (Independent charges) for the Department of Co-operation, Odisha during the above period.

She won the Ranpur constituency again in 2024 defeating BJD candidate Satyanarayan Pradhan by 15,544 votes.

The election for the Speaker's post is scheduled to be held in the state Assembly on Thursday.

“Padhy has filed a nomination for the Speaker’s post from the BJP while none has been fielded by other parties. CM Majhi himself talked to BJD president Naveen Patnaik over the phone to support Padhy’s nomination,” said Mukesh Mahaling, the parliamentary affairs minister.

Padhy is all set to be elected unopposed as the new Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.

Meanwhile, Pro-tem Speaker Ranednra Pratap Swain administered the oath to the remaining members of the House on Wednesday. As many as 102 newly elected MLAs had taken oath on Tuesday.

All the 147 newly elected MLAs were scheduled to take oath on June 18 and 19.