BJD suspends six MLAs for cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls
The Biju Janata Dal suspended six MLAs for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha after their replies to show-cause notices were found unsatisfactory, following unexpected voting patterns that favoured BJP candidates
Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal on Saturday suspended six of its MLAs for cross-voting during the recent election to four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha.
The suspended legislators were Chakramani Kanhar of Baliguda seat, Naba Kishor Mallick of Jayadev constituency, Souvic Biswal of Choudwar-Cuttack, Subasini Jena of Basta, Ramakanta Bhoi of Tirtol and Devi Ranjan Tripathy of Banki, an order by party chief Naveen Patnaik showed.
The suspension decision was taken at the opposition party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting presided over by Patnaik.
The six MLAs were issued show-cause notices on March 17.
They submitted their replies on Friday evening, and these were found not satisfactory, said the BJD’s chief whip in the Assembly, Pramila Mallik.
The ruling BJP won two of the four Rajya Sabha seats, while the opposition BJD and a saffron party-backed Independent candidate bagged one seat each in the biennial polls held last Monday.
While the total number of BJP legislators and Independent MLAs supporting the ruling party was 82 in the 147-member House, the saffron party candidates secured 93 first preference votes, which was 11 more than its strength in the Assembly.
Of these 11 votes, eight were from BJD MLAs and three from Congress legislators, an official had said.
