Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly Speaker S N Patro has resigned from the post as members of a new cabinet of the Naveen Patnaik led-government are scheduled to take oath on Sunday, an official said.
All 20 ministers of the state government had on Saturday submitted their resignation letters as per the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Patro submitted his resignation to Deputy Speaker R K Singh on Saturday citing no reason for his action.
Patro's son Biplab said, "My father is suffering from serious renal ailments and an infection in his left eye. He has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital."
His son also said Patro has resigned from the speaker post and declined to take any assignment of the government as he will go for surgery.
Sources in the ruling BJD said B K Arukha, who had resigned as minister is likely to be the next speaker of the assembly.
Patnaik, who is all set to give a new look to his government before the 2024 elections to the Lok Sabha and assembly, had asked the ministers to resign. This is for the first time in the political history of Odisha that all ministers were directed to quit.
More than six of the 20 ministers who resigned are likely to be dropped from the new council of ministers, the sources said.—PTI