The monsoon session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly will commence on September 22 and will continue till October 4.

Considering the fact that there is speculation about an early general election, the monsoon session of the Assembly is likely to be a stormy one, sources said.

Just a day ahead of the beginning of the monsoon session, an election will be held for the post of the Speaker. The post has been lying vacant since Bikram Keshari Arukh resigned on May 12 and subsequently joined Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet during the ministry’s reshuffle held on May 22. Arukh has been assigned the finance portfolio. At present, Deputy Speaker Rajani Kant Singh is acting as the Speaker of the Assembly.

There are a number of senior BJD leaders in the race for the post of Speaker. “Our party supremo will decide who will be the next Speaker. While choosing a leader for the post of Speaker, the government will take into account the leader’s experience and qualification,” said senior BJD leader and former minister Arabinda Dhali.

The Odisha government plans to place the supplementary budget of Rs 25,000 crore on October 3 during the short monsoon session.