Four Lok Sabha MPs of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have been elected unanimously as members of various standing committees of Parliament. They include Bhartuhari Mahtab (Cuttack), Baijayant Panda (Kendrapara), Kalikesh Singhdeo (Bolangir) and Balabhadra Majhi (Nabarangpur).
Mahtab, also leader of BJD parliamentary party in Lok Sabha, has been chosen as member of the powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC), while Panda will act as a member of the Public Undertakings Committee (PUC). Young BJD MP, Singhdeo has been selected as member of the Estimates Committee and Majhi has been inducted as member of SC and ST Welfare Committee.
"I hope that the demands of Odisha would be properly represented with the election of four state MPs as members of these four committees in the Lower House", Mahtab said while announcing the names.
The names of the chairpersons of these committees will be announced later by the Speaker, he added.
BJD has been eyeing the post of chairmanship of standing committees on Finance or Railways, based on its strength in the Lok Sabha. It has already conveyed its desire to the Union Parliamentary Affairs ministry to consider the name of Puri MP, Pinaki Mishra as the head of one these committees.
According to the Constitution, standing committees are permanent bodies of Parliament, designed to verify and suggest different aspects of a proposed legislature. The members of the committees are elected or appointed periodically and they work on a continuous basis.
