Bhubaneswar/UNI: Six-time MLA and former Minister Pramila Mallick was elected unopposed as the Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly on Friday.

Mallick is the first woman Speaker in the history of the Odisha legislative assembly.

Pramila Mallick, a six-time MLA from the Binjharpur (SC) Assembly seat, held the position of Women and Child Development Minister thrice in the Naveen Patnaik government.

She was also the Chief Whip of the ruling BJD in the Assembly before being inducted into the Naveen Patnaik cabinet as the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister.

The Speaker post had been vacant since May12 after that, Speaker Bikram Keshari Aarukh resigned from the post and was later inducted into the Naveen Patnaik cabinet as Finance Minister.

On Thursday, Mallick resigned from the Council of Ministers and filed her nomination as the ruling BJD candidate for the Speaker’s post. She was elected unopposed on Friday, as no one else had filed a nomination for the Speaker post.

Being the first woman Speaker of the Odisha Assembly, she will conduct the monsoon session of the house, which began on Friday and will continue until October 4 next.