Bhubaneswar: Trouble mounted for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and five-time Nayagada MLA Arun Sahoo as Supreme Court on Monday rejected his petition, challenging an Orissa High Court order related to alleged irregularities in the 2024 Assembly elections.
The apex court dismissed Sahoo’s plea and instructed the High Court to expedite the trial of the election petition and deliver its verdict within six months. This ruling clears the path for a comprehensive hearing on the allegations raised against his victory.
BJP candidate Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh, who narrowly lost to Sahoo, filed the election petition challenging his election from Nayagada constituency. Sahoo secured 81,959 votes (48.74%) in the polls declared in June 2024, defeating Singh, who could muster 81,520 votes (48.48%), by a razor-thin margin of just 439 votes. This marked Sahu’s fifth consecutive win from the seat.
The petition primarily contends that the Returning Officer improperly accepted Sahoo’s nomination papers despite alleged non-compliance with statutory requirements. Key issues cited include the failure to furnish original affidavits with each set of nomination papers, incomplete or inaccurate details regarding movable and immovable assets, unspecified shares in joint bank accounts, and non-disclosure of his shares and their value in ancestral properties.
The Orissa High Court had earlier admitted the petition following a preliminary hearing. A single-judge bench led by Justice Ananda Chandra Behera issued notices to Sahoo, directing him to file a written statement, and scheduled further proceedings. Sahoo sought to have the petition quashed without a full trial, but the High Court declined and opted to proceed.
In response, the BJD MLA approached the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court’s stance.
