Bhubaneswar/UNI: Senior BJD leader and six-time MLA Pramila Mallick filed her nomination for the post of Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

On the same day, Pramila Mallick resigned from the post of Revenue and Disaster Management Minister.

The post of Speaker has been vacant since May 12, after then Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukh resigned from the post and was inducted into the Council of Ministers.

The election to the post of Speaker will be held on the inaugural day of the monsoon session of the state assembly on Friday.

Given the strength of the BJD in the House, Pramilla Mallik’s election to the post of Speaker is a foregone conclusion. She will be the first woman Speaker in the history of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.

In the 147-member house, the ruling BJD has 114 members, the BJP has 22, Congress has 9, and CPI-M has one independent MLA.

After the election, Pramilla Mallik will conduct the business of the monsoon session of the Odisha Assembly, which will continue until October 4.