Congress suspends 3 Odisha MLAs for cross-voting in RS polls, seeks disqualification from assembly
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The opposition Congress in Odisha on Tuesday suspended three of its MLAs for voting for BJP-backed Independent candidate Dilip Ray, helping him win the Rajya Sabha polls, according to a party statement.
These MLAs are Ramesh Chandra Jena of Sanakhemundi, Dasarathi Gomango of Mohana and Sofia Firdous of Barabati-Cuttack.
They voted for Ray during the Rajya Sabha elections on Monday, according to the party.
Announcing their suspension, the state Congress in a social media post said, "Those who betray Congress are betraying the nation."
State Congress media cell chairperson Arabinda Das said the decision was taken after careful review of their actions, which were deemed detrimental to the party's interests.
He said the party's action will be intimated to the speaker for their disqualification from the assembly.
State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das said, "This act of betrayal was unexpected from these MLAs. We will ensure that they are disqualified from the assembly under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution."
He said the party's national leadership has been apprised of the decision.
Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam, in a letter to Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, sought the disqualification of the three MLAs.
Stating that they had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls, he said it was a clear violation of the party whip and amounted to defection.
"Their conduct has not only undermined party discipline but also goes against the democratic mandate under which they were elected," he said in the letter.
"I hereby petition before the speaker to kindly take cognisance of the matter and initiate appropriate proceedings for disqualification...," he added.
In another letter, Kadam also urged the speaker to change the seating arrangement of the three MLAs.
"In view of their suspension from the party, the trio no longer remains part of the CLP (Congress legislature party) in the House. Therefore, it is requested that necessary steps may kindly be taken to change their seating arrangement in the Assembly, in accordance with established rules, conventions, and the present status of the said members," he said.
Apart from the three Congress MLAs, eight BJD MLAs had also voted in favour of Ray, leading to the defeat of the opposition "common candidate" Datteswar Hota.
Congress had decided to back BJD candidate Hota in a strategic understanding.
The Congress media cell chairperson said Gomango was the party's Gajapati district president twice.
"The party did not expect this from him. Jena was a strong leader, but he destroyed himself. Sofia Firdous had a very bright future. She has ended her chances of winning in Cuttack. We will go ahead with the disqualification process," he said.
Ahead of the polling, the Congress had moved eight of its MLAs to Karnataka to "shield them from inducements".
Elections were held for four Rajya Sabha seats in the state. BJP bagged two of them, the BJD secured one, besides Ray's victory.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
