Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to address the opening day of the fifth session of the Odisha Assembly on November 27, an official notification said on Monday.
This came hours after Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan informed about the President’s likely visit to Odisha late in November and the state government’s proposal to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the President’s address. “There is a possibility of it (President Murmu visiting Odisha). The state government has sent a proposal to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the President’s address. If confirmed by the President’s office, it will be the first such address in the history of the Odisha Legislative Assembly,” the Minister had said.
According to a provisional calendar issued by the Assembly secretariat, no other business is scheduled for N
ovember 27 following the President’s address.
The winter session will continue till December 31, with 19 days marked for official business and five days for private members’ business, including Bills and Resolutions. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the first Supplementary Statement of Expenditure for 2025-26 on November 28.
The Odisha Legislative Assembly have begun preparing for President Murmu’s visit to the Assembly, her first since becoming the Head of State of the Republic of India. The President’s traditional chamber and other areas of the building are being refurbished to welcome her, sources said.
Murmu, who hails from Odisha, was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Rairangpur segment twice in 2000 and 2004 and also served as a minister in the Naveen Patnaik government. She was a Minister of State (Independent charge) of Commerce and Transport department from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002. Later, she was assigned Fisheries and Animal Resources department, a portfolio which she held from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004.
In 2007, she received the Nilkanth Award for the Best MLA of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
The winter session is expected to witness intense political debates in the aftermath of Nuapada bypoll results.