Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Surama Padhy was on Thursday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly.
Padhy, a two-time MLA elected from the Ranpur assembly segment in Nayagarh district was the lone candidate for the post. She was elected unopposed as there was no other candidate in the fray.
Pro-tem Speaker RP Swain announced her election and handed over the charge to her in the special session of the Assembly.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy chief ministers— KV Singh Deo, Pravati Parida, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and other members of the House greeted the new Speaker.
Padhy is the second woman to become Speaker of Odisha Assembly after Pramila Mallick of Biju Janata Dal.
The ruling BJP has 78 MLAs in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.