Overview
- On Monday June 22, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy dismissed separate BJD and Congress petitions that sought to disqualify eight BJD and three Congress MLAs for alleged cross‑voting in the March Rajya Sabha polls.
- The Speaker rejected the petitions under Rule 7(2) of the state defection rules because they were not verified as required, attached annexures were unauthenticated and they did not comply with Rules 6(6) and 6(7) and the verification standards of the Code of Civil Procedure.
- The petitions had invoked paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule, arguing the MLAs ‘voluntarily relinquished’ party membership by voting for a BJP‑backed independent rather than the opposition candidate.
- BJD and Congress say eight BJD and three Congress MLAs voted for BJP‑backed Dilip Ray on March 16, an outcome the parties say cost their joint candidate the seat; several of the named BJD MLAs had been suspended earlier for alleged anti‑party activity.
- The dismissal avoided any ruling on the merits and set up an imminent judicial review with the BJD and Congress planning to move the Odisha High Court, a step that will test how strictly courts enforce Speaker decisions and procedural thresholds in defection cases.