Odisha Polls: BJP Accuses BJD Leader Pranab Prakash Das Of Filing False Affidavit With Nomination

Bhubaneswar: Odisha unit of BJP has accused the BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate for Sambalpur, Pranab Prakash Das, of misleading the people by filing false affidavit on his educational qualification and properties.

Addressing a presser on Tuesday, senior advocate and BJP leader Pitambar Acharya said the party’s election agent Pradip Bahidar has filed an objection to the nomination papers filed by Das with Sambalpur collector who is the returning officer for the election.

“The BJP has raised objection to Das’ nomination on three grounds. The first objection was about his education qualification, While the BJD leader had mentioned his qualification as Plus Two Arts, he has mentioned it as Plus Two Science in 2024,” he said.

Stating that the party’s second objection was about the properties of Das, the BJP leader said the BJD candidate has furnished wrong information about his movable and immovable properties in the affidavit submitted with the nomination papers.

Acharya said the BJP’s third objection as related to the annual income of Das. Though Das has been drawing his monthly salary and other benefits as an MLA, he has mentioned his income as zero during 2019-20 financial year. While he should mention the income for 5 years in the affidavit, the BJD leader has hidden the income for one year, the BJP leader alleged.

Stating that hiding the annual income in the affidavit was a serious offence, Acharya said the Supreme Court and High Courts have rejected the nomination papers of several MP and MLA candidates on this ground. Orissa High Court had cancelled the election of former Sundargarh MLA Jogesh Singh and a former Cuttack MLA for filing false affidavits, he added.

“The returning officer has accepted the objection. But we will take up the matter in different forum or court in future,” he said.