Bhubaneswar, Nov. 30: The Mahanadi river dispute and demonetisation are likely to dominate the ensuing winter session of the Odisha Assembly beginning from tomorrow.

The Opposition will target the Odisha government on the Mahanadi issue accusing it of ignoring Odisha's cause for last 17 years and allowing the Chhattisgarh government to go ahead with the construction of the barrage on the upstream of Mahanadi river.

On the other hand, the BJD will attack the Centre for ignoring Odisha's interest.

All the political parties are expected to focus on Mahanadi issue and try to keep it alive in view of the panchayat elections due early next year.

Emerging from the BJD Legislature Party meeting, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: "We are ready to face any issue raised by the Opposition."

Parliamentary affairs minister Bikaram Keshari Arukh said: "The party will take up the Mahanadi issue and will raise how Odisha's interests have been sidelined by the Centre. We hope that the Opposition will play a constructive role and help the treasury bench to ensure that the Assembly proceeding go smoothly."

BJP will also join hands with Congress in attacking the state government for ignoring Odisha's interest on Mahanadi issue. Party MLA Pradip Purohit said: "We will raise how the state government, which is now shedding crocodile tears keeping panchayat polls in view, has kept mum for so many years."

Demonetisation issue is also likely to be on the centre stage during the month-long session.

Though the BJD supported Modi government's demonetisation policy, it continued to raise the issue how the people were facing a number of problems because of the sudden scrapping of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said: "The state government has failed in all fronts. Apart from the Mahanadi and demonetisation issues, the Opposition will take up the death of children, be it due to Japanese encephalitis in Malakangiri or malnutrition in Nagada."

The Opposition is also likely to rake up the issue of the law and order problems.

However, political observers believe that the rift in the Congress is likely to affect its floor performance in the Assembly.

All the 16 Congress MLAs had stood behind Mishra on the Mahanadi issue.

They had even met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi last month under the leadership Mishra and demanded a change in the leadership of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee.

However, a fissure apparently has developed recently within the legislature party with four MLAs separately meeting Rahul on Saturday.

Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati and senior party MLA Prafulla Majhi, on the other hand, blamed OPCC president Prasad Harichandan and AICC in charge of Odisha B.K. Hariprasad for trying to adopt "divide-and-rule" policy.