Bhubaneswar, September 11 (Daily Kiran) : Bhubaneswar is at the center of a growing controversy surrounding cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections held on March 16 this year. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), an opposition party, has approached the Odisha High Court following the dismissal of its petition by Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi. The petition sought to disqualify eight of its MLAs accused of violating party directives during the elections.
Prominent BJD leader and Chief Whip Pramila Malik informed reporters on Friday that they filed the petition challenging the Speaker’s decision. Malik asserted that Padhi made a unilateral ruling without considering the opposition’s viewpoint.
“The Speaker made a one-sided decision without allowing us to present our case. We, the BJD, have faith in the court and hope for justice,” she stated during a media briefing. Malik emphasized that the party had previously requested the Speaker to disqualify the eight MLAs for allegedly breaching the party whip during the Rajya Sabha elections.
The BJD is now urging the High Court to declare these MLAs ineligible, citing their behavior against the party’s collective decision and their disregard for party discipline.
Both the BJD and Congress had earlier submitted separate petitions to Speaker Padhi, seeking the disqualification of eleven MLAs. They were accused of cross-voting and violating their respective party whips during the March 16 elections. Among these eleven, eight belonged to the BJD, while three were from Congress.
In June, Speaker Padhi dismissed these petitions, citing deficiencies in documentation and a lack of sufficient verification and supporting evidence. He described the petitions as “vague,” “unclear,” and “unsupported by evidence,” stating that they failed to present the necessary facts as required under the Odisha Assembly Members (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules.
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