Bhubaneswar, April 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLAs, led by Deputy Leader Prasanna Acharya, on Monday met the Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Surama Padhy, and submitted a formal memorandum seeking the disqualification of eight party legislators who reportedly violated the party’s whip and were giving statements against the party in public.
The demand comes after these eight MLAs allegedly voted in favour of the ruling party-supported candidate during the recent Rajya Sabha elections, in violation of the party whip.
The BJD delegation argued that the actions of the eight MLAs amount to a clear violation of party directives and fall within the provisions of the anti-defection law.
In their written submission, they urged the Speaker to take appropriate action and disqualify the members at the earliest.
Speaking to media persons, BJD Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said she has formally written to the Speaker seeking the disqualification of eight MLAs engaged in various anti-party activities.
“Those eight legislators engaged in anti-party activities had voted against party directives during the Rajya Sabha elections and have also been making statements against the BJD before the media. They are no longer required to remain in the party and have accordingly been suspended. Therefore, we have requested Speaker Madam to immediately cancel their membership,” said Mallik.
Meanwhile, senior BJD MLA, Arun Sahoo, who was a member of the delegation, said on Monday that defying the party whip and engaging in cross-voting is a serious breach of discipline and constitutional provisions.
He referred to the legal framework under Article 191 and the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on the grounds of defection.
Sahoo stated that if any elected representative voluntarily gives up membership of the party or acts against its directives, including voting contrary to the official whip, it can be interpreted as defection.
“This is not just about voting; it is about party discipline and the mandate given by the people. Publicly going against the party line reflects voluntary abandonment of party membership,” he said.
Citing the disqualification of six MLAs in Himachal Pradesh in 2024 as well as of veteran leader Sarad Yadav in 2017, Sahoo further added that there are precedents where legislators have been disqualified under similar circumstances and expressed confidence that the Speaker would examine the matter and take a decision in accordance with the law.
“In this case, these eight MLAs of the BJD have defied the party, repeatedly disobeyed its decisions, and publicly made remarks against it, which means they have voluntarily given up their membership. That is why their membership should be cancelled, as they were elected in the name of the Biju Janata Dal and on its symbol,” said Sahoo.
Notably, as many as 11 legislators, eight from the BJD, including two suspended BJD MLAs, and three from the Congress, cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha biennial elections held in March, resulting in the victory of BJP-backed candidate Dilip Ray.
Source: IANS
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