Bhubaneswar: Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy has rejected the disqualification petitions filed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) against several of its MLAs for alleged cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha election held in March 2026.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had approached the Speaker seeking disqualification of the MLAs, alleging that they violated the party’s whip and cross-voted in favour of BJP-backed Independent candidate Dilip Ray during the Rajya Sabha elections.
The Speaker has dismissed the petitions filed under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which deals with disqualification on the ground of voluntarily giving up membership of the party.
BJD had accused eight of its MLAs of cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election and sought their disqualification. The party had submitted petitions through its Chief Whip Pramila Mallik, on April 25, 2026.
In April, a BJD delegation led by Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallick met the Speaker and submitted a formal petition seeking disqualification of eight party MLAs. Of these, six MLAs were specifically suspended for allegedly cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election. They are Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishore Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol) and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki).
The other two legislators, Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura) and Sanatan Mahakud (Champua), had already been suspended by the Biju Janata Dal on charges of anti-party activities prior to the disqualification petitions.
This ruling comes as a major relief to the concerned MLAs and a setback to BJD, which had strongly pushed for action against the alleged rebels.
