Bhubaneswar: With three-fold hike in the salary and allowances of Odisha MLAs triggering a political row and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik announcing that he would forgo the enhanced benefits, all eyes are now on Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, whose assent is required for the Bills passed by the State Assembly.

On the last day of the winter session on December 9, the Assembly passed four bills unanimously, though the lone CPI(M) member remained absent from the House. The Left party has opposed the increase in legislators’ salaries and allowances. Under the new provisions, the total monthly package of an MLA has been raised to Rs 3.45 lakh from Rs 1.11 lakh earlier.

The move has drawn sharp criticism on social media and from various organisations, which accused the BJP government of prioritising lawmakers over people, pointing out that the State’s per capita annual income is estimated at Rs 1.83 lakh in 2024-25. While the Chief Minister will get a monthly salary of Rs 3.74 lakh, his deputies are entitled Rs 3.68 lakh.

Social media users highlighted the income gap between legislators and the people they represent, noting that an MLA’s annual income now stands at about Rs 41.4 lakh. “An MLA in Odisha now earns about 22 times more than the average citizen. In other words, they make in just two weeks what an average Odia earns in an entire year,” one widely shared post said.

Amid the outrage, BJD president Naveen Patnaik recently wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, stating that he would forgo the enhanced salary as an MLA. However, the BJD had supported the Odisha Legislative Assembly Members’ Salary, Allowances and Pension (Amendment) Bill, 2025 when it was passed in the House.

Senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo termed Patnaik’s announcement as “politics” and a “stunt”. “Why Patnaik did not attend the Assembly session or voice opposition during the Bill’s discussion. He is playing politics,” Singh Deo said.

Former minister and senior BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra also termed Patnaik’s announcement as a “drama”. “As Leader of Opposition in the House, Patnaik must have given consent to his party MLAs to support the Bill. Now, he is forgoing the enhanced package.

This is not accepted,” Jayanarayan said.

Jayanarayan highlighted Patnaik’s affluent background and claimed that his father Biju Patnaik took Re 1 as salary when he was the chief minister between 1990 and 1995. He said, “Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik had openly supported the Bill in the House. Other BJD MLAs also supported it. They were free to oppose, but did not.”

However, BJP MLA Babu Singh announced that he would donate the enhanced salary amount to the poor in his Ekamra-Bhubaneswar Assembly segment. The BJD MLA and former minister Ganeswar Behera, however, defended Patnaik, describing his decision as an “idealistic and personal choice”.

At the same time, Behera justified the salary hike for MLAs, saying the demand had been pending since 2018 and critics should understand the pressures faced by legislators who interact with people daily. The Congress MLA, Pabitra Saunta, criticised Patnaik’s announcement, calling it “duplicitous” and a “political stunt”.

“Patnaik comes from a well-to-do family and may not need the enhanced salary.

But it is a necessity for many of the 147 MLAs, most of whom come from humble backgrounds,” Saunta said.

Constitutional expert Manas Behera said the focus is now on the Governor. “All eyes are on the Governor.

The bills have been sent to him, and he may or may not give assent. There are instances of governors returning bills to the House.