Bhubaneswar, Nov 10 (IANS) The Winter Session of the Odisha Assembly is set to commence on November 27 with an address by the President Droupadi Murmu.

Notably, Droupadi Murmu, before assuming the office of President of India, had served two terms as Member of Legislative Assembly of Odisha between 2000 and 2009 from Rairangpur Assembly constituency in Mayurbhanj district.

She had also held different portfolios as the Ministers of Commerce and Transport, and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development departments during the same period.

This will be her first address to the Odisha Assembly after she assumed office of the President.

According to Assembly sources, the fifth session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly will have 29 working days and is scheduled to conclude on December 31.

As per the schedule, the First Supplementary Statement of Expenditure (Budget) for the 2025–26 financial year will be presented in the House on November 28.

Subsequently, the Appropriation Bill related to the First Supplementary Statement of Expenditure will be introduced and moved in the Assembly on December 8.

Once passed, it will authorise the state government to withdraw the approved additional funds from the consolidated fund of Odisha to implement supplementary allocations.

Political experts claimed that the forthcoming Winter session of the Assembly is likely to witness intense debates between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress over different issues.

The Opposition is likely to corner the state government in the House over issues such as violence against women, rising incidents of crime in the state, the inquiry report on Ratha Yatra stampede, etc.

The Monsoon Session of the Assembly, originally scheduled for seven working days, was adjourned sine die on September 24, a day ahead of its planned conclusion, amid a massive uproar by the opposition parties.

–IANS

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