BHUBANESWAR: The BJD has decided to seek disqualification of six of its suspended MLAs from the Assembly for cross-voting in favour of BJP-backed Independent candidate Dilip Ray in the Rajya Sabha elections held on March 16.
The decision is learnt to have been taken at a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chaired by party president Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas on Saturday. Sources said documentation pertaining to the six legislators is being finalised and is likely to be submitted to Speaker Surama Padhy on Monday by party chief whip Pramila Mallick.
The MLAs include Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishor Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol) and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki). The BJD has accused them of defying the party whip by voting in favour of Ray.
Apart from these six, the party had also issued a whip to two other suspended MLAs Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud, directing them to vote for the second BJD candidate Dr Datteswar Hota. However, the party is yet to take a final decision on action against the two, who also defied the whip. Mohapatra and Mahakud had been suspended from the party on January 15 on charges of anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, Kanhar told mediapersons on Sunday that he had not violated the party whip, stating that he cast his first preference vote in favour of BJD candidate Santrupt Misra and his second vote for Ray. He said his actions were guided by the legacy of Biju Patnaik, and maintained that he remained committed to the party’s ideology.
Jena had earlier made a similar statement, asserting that she had voted for both Misra and Ray.