Bhubaneswar: Speaker Pramila Mallik has disqualified Arabinda Dhali and Premananda Nayak, who recently joined BJP after quitting the ruling BJD, as members of the Odisha Assembly under anti-defection law.
Official sources said that the disqualification of the two leaders will be effective immediately. A notification on the disqualification of two members was issued by the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
While Arabinda Dhali represented Jaydev Assembly constituency, Premananda Nayak was the legislator from Telkoi. The two were disqualified in exercise of the powers conferred upon the Speaker under paragraph 6(1) of the tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
On March 18, government chief whip Prasanta Kumar Muduli filed a petition under Rule 6 of the Members of Odisha Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1978 framed under paragraph 8 of the 10th Schedule to the Indian Constitution seeking disqualification of two members as they voluntarily gave up primary membership from the BJD in which they were elected to the Assembly.
In this regard, a notice was sent to Dhali and Nayak for hearing on the petition. However, both failed to respond and did not appeared before the Speaker for personal hearing following which they ceased to be members of Odisha Assembly with immediate effect.
With the move, two seats in Odisha Legislative Assembly have fallen vacant.
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Notbaly, Dhali will be contesting the upcoming polls from Jaydev Assembly seat on BJP ticket.
