CUTTACK: Two more petitions were filed in Orissa High Court challenging the election of Rourkela and Sanakhemundi MLAs. With this, the number of such pleas filed in the HC after 2019 elections have reached eight.
BJD leader and former minister Sarada Prasad Nayak’s election from Rourkela Assembly constituency has been challenged by his BJP rival Nihar Ray. Ray, who lost to Nayak by a margin of over 10,000 votes, has sought declaration of election of Nayak as void on the ground that he suppressed information at the time of filing nomination.
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Ray, in his petition filed on Monday, alleged that Nayak did not disclose that he holds the office of profit while filing his papers.
He also did not disclose about his total assets and liabilities and criminal cases pending against him, Ray alleged. Similarly, Congress MLA Ramesh Chandra Jena’s election from Sanakhemundi was challenged by BJD leader Nandini Devi who lost by a margin of over 23,000 votes.
In her petition, Devi sought a declaration of election of Jena as void on the ground that he did not disclose about criminal cases pending against him while filing his nomination.
Apart from these two petitions, pleas have been filed challenging election of Balasore MP and MLAs of Remuna, Soro, Bari, Barabati-Cuttack and Laxmipur.