Odisha Assembly Speaker, two ministers resign amid speculation over Cabinet reshuffle

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha and two ministers today resigned from their posts amid speculation of a reshuffle in the Council of Ministers in the state.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash and Labour Minister Srikant Sahu have resigned from their posts, sources said.

Arukha sent his resignation to Odisha Assembly Deputy Speaker Rajani Kant Singh while Dash and Sahu sent their resignation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, sources added.

“I have resigned from the post of Assembly Speaker over some personal reasons,” said Arukha.

Dash said he resigned from his ministerial post to devote himself in the organizational work of Biju Janata Dal (BJD). “My resignation has nothing to do with the outcome of a recent Zilla Parishad by-election in my constituency,” he added.

Patnaik had revamped his Council of Ministers, first time in his fifth term in Odisha, in June last year. The reshuffle exercise was effected a day after all the 20 ministers tendered their resignations to the Chief Minister.

It is the first incident in the political history of Odisha when all ministers were asked to submit their resignation.

As many as 13 cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state with independent charge had been sworn in by Governor Ganeshi Lal.

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