CUTTACK: Former union minister and senior BJP leader Dilip Ray on Friday filed a petition in the Orissa High Court challenging the election of BJD MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak from Rourkela Assembly constituency.
Ray with a 43.91 per cent vote share lost by a margin of 3,552 votes as against Nayak’s 46.46 per cent vote share.
He filed the election petition through advocate Soumik Spandan Tripathy. In his election petition, Ray has sought declaration of Nayak’s election as void on the ground that he had suppressed information at the time of filing nomination.
He has alleged that Nayak while filing his nomination papers, had not disclosed that he holds office of profit and his total assets and liabilities and criminal cases pending against him. Of the total 1,39,170 votes cast, Nayak had secured 64,660 votes, while Ray trailed with 61,108 votes. Earlier, Nayak, a former minister had won from the Rourkela Assembly constituency in 2019 and 2009.