Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikram Arukha, Ministers Srikant Sahu & Samir Das Resign

Bhubaneswar: Speaker of Odisha Assembly Bikram Keshari Arukha, Labour Minister Srikant Sahu and School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Das resigned from their posts on Friday.

Announcing his resignation at a press conference, the Speaker said he quit the post on personal grounds. He has sent his resignation letter to Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Rajanikant Singh, he added.

Though Arukha did not elaborate on the reasons of his resignation, he said, “I have executed my duties as Speaker with honesty and sincerity. I will continue to serve the people in similar commitment.”

Arukha has been elected as MLA from Bhanjanagar constituency in Ganjam district for 5 times. He had assumed the Speaker post one year back.

The resignations of the three BJD leaders have come in the wake of speculation that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to effect changes in the ministry soon.

Sahu said with Assembly elections a year away, he would shoulder party organisational responsibilities. Das also gave his reactions along similar lines.

The development comes a day before the announcement of the results of Jharsuguda byelections. BJD’s Deepali Das is said to be comfortably placed to win the bypoll which was necessitated by the murder of her father former minister Naba Kishore Das.