Bhubaneswar, July 21 Leaders of various parties on Sunday attended an all-party meeting convened by the state government ahead of the budget session of the Odisha state assembly, which begins on Monday.

The budget session begins with the speech of Governor Raghubar Das.

“Detailed discussions were held on the suggestions made by leaders of all political parties during the meeting to ensure smooth conduct of the ongoing session of the 17th Odisha Assembly,” said Speaker Surama Padhy, who chaired the all-party meeting.

“The first session of the new government will begin on Monday. We hope that the House will proceed smoothly under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the guidance of Speaker Padhy,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling told the media.

Meanwhile, in a rare gesture of statesmanship, Chief Minister Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo on Sunday visited the residence of former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik and requested him to attend the all-party meet.

“Today morning, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met LoP Naveen Patnaik at his residence and invited him to participate in the all-party meeting. Chief Minister Majhi also urged Patnaik to attend the meeting regularly and give his constructive suggestions to the government,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said.

Though the LoP skipped the meeting, Biju Janata Dal faction leader and former chairperson Pramila Mallik were present.

Mallik told reporters after the all-party meeting that the leaders deliberated on how to run the house smoothly and peacefully.

However, leaders of the opposition parties Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) skipped the all-party meeting.

Notably, the election for the post of Vice-Chairman will be held on July 24, while the BJP government will present its maiden budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 in the assembly on July 25.

The budget session will last from July 22 to September 13.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor.

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