Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha & Two Ministers resign, Cabinet reshuffle expected

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha resigned from his post today hinting at the reshuffle in the State Cabinet.

Arukha informed about his resignation in a press conference this evening saying he resigned from his post for personal reasons. The senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader said that he has sent his resignation letter to deputy Speaker Rajani Kant Singh.

“As the speaker of the assembly I tried my best to carryout my responsibility well. I thank Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for giving me the opportunity to be the speaker of the assembly and I will discharge every responsibility assigned to me by the party or in the government,”Arukha said.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das also gave his resignation from the spot. Likewise, Srikanta Sahu, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employees State Insurance also tender his resignation.

With the resignation of the trio ahead of the declaration of Jharsuguda by-election results, discussions have now started about possible Odisha cabinet reshuffle.

It is to be noted here that Naveen Patnaik had changed the portfolios of the ministers on June 5 last year. All Ministers were asked to tender their resignations, following which a new cabinet of Ministers was formed.

The other reason why the cabinet reshuffle is expected soon is that the state is going to the general election next year and the Chief Minister has given his focus on the departments of Education, Health and Water Resources. This apart, the COVID cases in the State are on the rise, however, a full-time Minister is yet to be appointed in place of Naba Das, who was murdered on January 29. Currently, State finance minister Niranjan Pujari has been given the additional charge of the Department of Health and Family Welfare.

Also Read: Odisha cabinet reshuffle expected soon, portfolios of many ministers likely to be changed