Bhubaneswar: A delegation of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has raised serious objections before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha over the alleged issuance of second ballot papers to two legislators during the recently held Rajya Sabha elections, and has sought cancellation of the votes cast under those ballots.
According to the party’s memorandum, submitted during a meeting with CEO R.S. Gopalan in Bhubaneswar, second ballot papers were allegedly issued to BJP MLAs Upasana Mohapatra (Brahmagiri) and Suryabanshi Suraj (Dhamnagar) after the original ballot papers had already been marked.
The BJD claimed that the issuance of second ballots did not meet the statutory conditions under Rule 41 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which governs the treatment of “spoilt” ballot papers. The party argued that objections were raised at multiple levels during the polling process, including by polling agents, counting agents, and candidates, questioning the legality of the procedure.
The delegation, led by Deputy Leader of the BJD Legislature Party Prasanna Acharya, told the CEO that the circumstances under which the second ballots were issued amounted to a procedural violation. The party also referred to the role of the Election Commission Observer, stating that permission for second ballot papers was initially declined but later granted, raising concerns over compliance with statutory requirements.
The BJD further cited earlier representations made on the issue, including complaints raised during the polling process and communications sent to the Election Commission of India by party President Naveen Patnaik and party MP Dr Sasmit Patra.
In its memorandum, the party urged the election authorities to reject the votes cast by the two MLAs and adjust the preference count accordingly, arguing that such recalculation would alter the outcome in favour of another candidate, Datteswar Hota.
The delegation also sought disclosure of action taken on earlier complaints and demanded that all relevant election records be preserved. These include ballot paper accounts, counterfoils, observer reports, counting records, and audiovisual documentation from the polling and counting process.
The party has also called for a detailed and independent examination of the circumstances under which the second ballot papers were issued, and whether provisions of Rule 41 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, were properly followed during the process.
