June 19, 2024 7:53 PM.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be the leader of the opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. He was elected as the leader of BJD legislature party at Bhubaneswar today.
Senior BJD MLA Prasanna Acharya has been named as the deputy leader of the opposition, while former speaker Pramila Mallik will be the chief whip of the opposition in the House. The BJD, which ruled the state for 24 years, lost power to the BJP in the recently concluded assembly elections.
“We had a meeting of the MLAs of the BJD. I congratulated and thanked them. They have elected me as the leader of the opposition and leader of the BJD legislature party,” he said.
Senior MLA Prasanna Acharya was named the deputy leader of the opposition, while former speaker Pramila Mallik would be the chief whip of the opposition in the House.