Legislature of Orissa

The legislature of Orissa is the democratic and the autonomous body of the state. Along with the executive and the judiciary body, the legislature of Orissa state is an important component of governance. The legislative powers of the state are vested on the majority party that occupies the maximum number of seats in the legislative assembly. The speaker of the legislative assembly of Orissa enjoys the autonomous status and has the administrative powers of controlling the legislative assembly.

60 seats were assigned to the legislative assembly of the state of Orissa when it was established under the Government of India Act of 1935. 4 seats among the total were left for the nominated members of the assembly. After several revisions of the number of seats, the total number of 147 was fixed as the strength of the Legislature of Orissa. The political parties of the state compete in the elections to occupy the maximum number of seats in the assembly. The non money and the money bills of the state of Orissa are raised in the legislative assembly and debated upon before they are accepted by the government.

The Orissa legislative assembly is presided over by the honorable speaker of Orissa who retires when his successor is chosen. The parliamentary session of the legislative assembly commences in the presence of the speaker. In his absence, the deputy speaker presides over the parliamentary affairs. While holding office, the speaker is vested with several powers required for the administration over the legislative assembly. The present speaker of the assembly is Shri Maheswar Mohanty.

The following are the links to the legislature of Orissa: