BJD Leader Dipali Das Moves Orissa HC Against Election Of BJP Candidate From Jharsuguda

Cuttack: Former Jharsuguda MLA of BJD Dipali Das has moved the Orissa High Court seeking disqualification of the election of BJP candidate Tankadhar Tripathy from the constituency.

In her petition filed in the High Court on Friday, Dipali has claimed that Tripathy had filed false affidavit while submitting his nomination papers before the Assembly elections in Odisha.

“The BJP candidate did not mention the criminal cases pending against him in the affidavit submitted to chief electoral officer of the state. As it violated the People’s Representation Act, his election should be declared null and void,” she told the media.

Her petition filed in the court has mentioned the details and sought its intervention on the matter, she added.

Following her defeat in the election, Dipali had submitted a petition before the Election Commission of India (ECI) for EVM/VVPAT memory verification in her constituency. The Commission had also accepted the petition and given permission for checking and verification of 13 polling stations in Jharsuguda.

Dipali, who had won the byelection from Jharsuguda in 2023 following the demise of her father and then health minister Naba Das, lost the 2024 elections to Tripathy by 1,333 votes. While Tripathy won the election with 91,105 votes, Dipali polled 89,772 votes.