Bhubaneswar, March 22: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has suspended six of its legislators due to allegations of cross-voting and other anti-party activities during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.
In an official statement, the party explained that this action followed the issuance of a show-cause notice by the chief whip, an investigation into the legislators’ responses by the disciplinary committee, and the final decision of the political affairs committee (PAC).
BJD chief Naveen Patnaik stated that the legislators were suspended with immediate effect for their involvement in cross-voting, which violates the core principles of the party’s constitution that mandate strict adherence to collective decisions.
The suspended legislators include Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Nabakishore Mallik (Jayadev), Souvik Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subhasini Jena (Basta), Dr. Ramakant Bhui (Tirtol), and Debi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki).
Party sources indicated that the suspensions stemmed from allegations of voting in favor of independent candidate Dilip Ray, who is supported by the BJP, which goes against party lines.
Previously, on March 17, these legislators were issued a show-cause notice seeking clarification regarding their conduct. The notice stated, “You must provide a reason within three days of this notice as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against you, including suspension from BJD, and why appropriate legal and constitutional action should not be taken on the grounds that your conduct indicates a voluntary resignation from BJD membership.”
It is noteworthy that during the biennial Rajya Sabha elections held on Monday, a total of 11 legislators were involved in cross-voting, including eight from BJD, two of whom have been suspended, and three from Congress, resulting in the victory of BJP-supported candidate Dilip Ray.
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Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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