ROURKELA: Sundargarh MLA from BJP Kusum Tete may be in trouble for not resigning from the post of chairperson of Special Development Council (SDC) prior to her election. Tete’s opponents have demanded quashing her election accusing her of holding office of profit for months after her win and lying in her affidavit during nomination. Former Sundargarh MLA and State BJD general secretary Yogesh Singh on Friday sent a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Sundargarh Collector demanding quashing of her membership in the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
One JP Deo had written to the Odisha Governor over the issue on January 27 this year. The Governor’s office had intimated the matter to the ECI and with the latter’s intervention, the state government sought a report from Sundargarh Collector who in turn ordered the Project Administrator, Integrated Tribal Development Agency to conduct a probe. The report of the probe was submitted on November 4.
Sources said before the elections last year, in order to placate a rebellious Tete after Singh’s entry into BJD from Congress, the state government had appointed the legislator as the chairperson of SDC on February 4, 2019. However, Tete, apprehensive that she would not be given a ticket by the ruling party to contest from Sundargarh, quit the post on March 16 and a day later from BJD. She won the Assembly seat on a BJP ticket. Apparently, she did not follow the official procedure which may cause trouble now.
Tete said Chief Minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik had given her the appointment and she received the letter from him. The legislator claimed she did not break any protocol by sending her resignation to the BJD Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through the then BJD in-charge for Sundargarh Pranab Prakash Das. She said she is right and has not taken any benefit from the SDC after her resignation.
Singh claimed the Collector’s report obtained through an RTI application showed the government has no record of her resignation. He claimed from the report it appeared Tete continued as SDC chairperson till August 28, 2019 till Binay Toppo assumed the post. Singh also questioned why she had not mentioned about the status of her office of profit or resignation in the election affidavit which amounts to lying or hiding facts.