Bhubaneswar: The state cabinet on Friday approved the proposal to set up a 49-member legislative council in Odisha and a resolution to this effect will be passed in the Assembly's monsoon session beginning September 4.

Once the Assembly passes the resolution, it will be sent to the Centre for approval. Parliament has to enact a law under the Article 169 of the Constitution. The cabinet on Friday approved the proposal submitted by a three-member committee, headed by transport minister Nrusingha Charan Sahu, which had visited four states. The setting up of the council will entail an annual expenditure of Rs 35 crore, parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arrukh announced after the meeting.

The Congress and the BJP, which had boycotted the five-member committee, described the BJD's move as "an attempt to rehabilitate" its leaders in the proposed legislative body. The Opposition allegation seems to have merit as it is widely believed that Naveen, who has been ruling the state for 18 years, may deny tickets to many sitting MLAs to refurbish his party's image during the forthcoming Assembly elections. The state is scheduled to face the elections in May next, unless it is advanced by a few months.

Official sources said the Modi government would help the Naveen government in getting the required law passed by Parliament and would not act as a stumbling block. The BJD bailed out the BJP during the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 20 by abstaining itself during the voting and also later extending support to the NDA nominee for the Rajya Sabha vice-chairmanship on August 9.

The salient features of the proposed 49-member legislative council are 16 members, who will be elected from among the MLAs, another 16 will be drafted from the civic bodies, four each will be elected from the teachers and graduates constituencies and nine members will be nominated by the governor. According to the proposal, the council could function from the old Assembly premises and the Assembly secretariat will serve as the secretariat of the council like Telangana, the three-member committee has suggested.

Arukh said the committee had visited Maharashra, Karnataka, Bihar and Telangana to study the functioning of the legislative councils.

The Naveen government had announced in December 2014 to set up the council.

Congress leader Narasingh Mishra said: "It will become a rehabilitation council of the ruling party."

BJP leader Lekhashree Samant Singhar said: "The manner, in which the ruling party woke up suddenly ahead of the 2019 general election, creates suspicion about its intention."

BJP MLA Pradeep Purohit, too, criticised the move.