The Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Surama Padhi, on Monday (September 22, 2025) rejected the notice for no-confidence motion submitted by the Congress challenging the performance of the Mohan Majhi-led BJP government.
The Speaker ruled that the motion could not be moved as the Congress failed to place it on the day following the filing of the notice. The Congress, however, alleged that the House was not in order and accused the Speaker of deliberately rejecting its notice.
Soon after, Congress members walked out of the House and staged a dharna beneath the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the Assembly premises. While some leaders described the rejection as the result of an “unholy nexus” between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), others alleged that the government was avoiding debates on critical issues.
Congress Legislature Party leader Ramachandra Kadam said, “The rejection of our notice was deliberate. We will take this issue to the streets and explain it to the public. Today’s demonstration is peaceful, and the next course of action will be decided after detailed discussions with the party leadership.”
Congress MLA Sofia Firdous added, “There was nothing wrong with the no-confidence motion notice. We had filled it strictly in line with the prescribed procedures and formats. If they wanted to reject it intentionally, they could simply do so.”
