Bhubaneswar: Droupadi Murmu will script history on Thursday by becoming the first President to address the Odisha Assembly, of which she was earlier a member. Speaker Surama Padhy, who chaired an all-party meeting on Wednesday, said it will be a historic moment for the Assembly and its 147 members.

“The President will address the House from 4 pm to 5 pm. We are all eagerly waiting to listen to her. Her visit and address as the President are truly historic,” she said. Padhy said Murmu will be the first President to visit and address the Odisha Assembly.

She said Murmu was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Rairangpur seat in Mayurbhanj district twice, in 2000 and 2004. Murmu also became a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government in Odisha.

During her visit, Murmu will also visit room number 11, the chamber in the Assembly from where she functioned as a minister. She served as an MoS with independent charge for Commerce and Transport from March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002, and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002 to May 16, 2004.

The chamber has been renovated ahead of her visit, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said. In 2007, Murmu received the Nilkanth Award for the Best MLA of the Odisha Assembly.

Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and some MPs from the State and eminent personalities are also scheduled to attend the proceedings when the President addresses the Assembly.

Keeping in view the President’s visit, the Odisha government has made elaborate security arrangements in Bhubaneswar, including in and around the Assembly.

The Winter Session of the Assembly will begin on Friday and is scheduled to continue till December 31.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is also in charge of Finance department, will present the supplementary budget in the House on November 28.

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh reviewed the security arrangements in the Assembly on Tuesday and said that 33 platoons of police along with 150 officers of different ranks will be deployed for the Winter Session of the Assembly. One platoon of police comprises 30 personnel.

Besides, specialised units and bomb disposal and dog squads, and fire personnel will be deployed for the Assembly session, he said. Similarly, another 25 platoons of the police will be deployed in other parts of the city to ensure the President’s smooth visit, Singh said.