The no-confidence notice submitted by the Congress party on September 18 has lapsed, sparking strong protests from opposition members both inside and outside the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Congress Legislative Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam accused the Speaker of not giving due importance to the motion due to the party’s low numbers in the House.
The announcement came during the afternoon session on Monday when Kadam raised a question about the status of the no-confidence motion. Speaker Surama Padhy informed the Assembly that the notice had expired due to the ongoing stalemate in the House, which prevented it from being tabled in time. According to parliamentary procedures, the motion was supposed to be brought before the House the day after it was submitted, but the impasse made that impossible.
The notice was handed over to the Assembly Secretary on September 18 at 12:47 PM by Kadam, along with 14 other Congress MLAs. Speaker Padhy had directed that it be presented in the House on September 19. However, the session could not proceed normally, and as per tradition, the proposal needed to be introduced before the House adjourned for the day. Since this did not happen, the notice lapsed, Padhy declared.
Following the Speaker’s announcement, Congress members rushed to the well of the House in protest before staging a walkout. They then proceeded to the Gandhi statue within the Assembly premises, where they sat on a dharna. Kadam expressed his frustration, stating that while the Congress had followed all rules in submitting the motion, the Speaker was ignoring it because of their limited strength. “Democracy is being murdered, and BJP and BJD have colluded to deliberately stall the House,” the protesters alleged. Kadam added that the Congress would take this message directly to the people.
The no-confidence motion was moved against the BJP government in the state, with support from all 14 Congress MLAs and CPI(M) MLA Laxman Munda. The party had sought cooperation from the BJD, but it was rebuffed. Opposition leader Naveen Patnaik, who was in Delhi, remained silent on the issue.
Although the motion posed no numerical threat to the BJP government, it was seen as an opportunity for the opposition to highlight the administration’s alleged failures in areas such as law and order, unemployment, women’s safety, farmers’ issues, education, drinking water, and the protection of Dalits and tribals. Political observers noted that this was the primary objective behind the move, which ultimately did not materialise.
In the afternoon, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi introduced a resolution thanking the Prime Minister for GST reforms. The Speaker then dispatched government chief whip Saroj Pradhan and the deputy chief whip to persuade the Congress members to return, assuring them that no conspiracy was involved and that the decision was strictly in line with parliamentary rules. However, the Congress MLAs did not rejoin the proceedings.
During the dharna at the Gandhi statue, Congress MLA Sophia Firdous criticised the handling of the motion. “The no-confidence proposal was brought as per rules and procedures. They didn’t allow the House to function for three days, and it took them that long to decide how to reject it. We will question in the House on what basis they rejected it—they haven’t given any clear reason,” she said.
As the main opposition party, the BJD had a prime opportunity to expose the government’s shortcomings through extended debates in the Assembly but appears to have deliberately let it slip, according to discussions in political circles. Notably, after the no-confidence motion was deemed inadmissible, the House proceedings resumed smoothly today.
