Ruling BJD nominee Ganagadhar Puala won the by-election for Rayagada Zilla Parishad President held here on Wednesday by a margin of 13 votes. The by-poll had been necessitated after the District and Sessions Judge Court declared election of late Purussottam Gamang of the Congress null and void in December last.
Congress candidate Asutosh Kilaka got five votes though the party had 10 members in the 21-member council before. Earlier, the BJD had seven members, the Congress 10 and the BJP four members.
Though BJP State president Samir Mohanty had issued a whip for his party members to abstain from voting, two of them, Netrananda Kaibarta and Pushpanjali Mutuka, disobeyed it and cast their votes.
Both BJP and Congress leaders shouted demanding ouster of both the ZP members from the conference hall and urged the Election Officer not to allow them to vote. They claimed that the BJD resorted to horse trading in the election.
Following the declaration of the results, BJP and Congress workers gheraoed the Collector’s office alleging horse trading by the BJD.
On December 24, Purussottam Gamang of the Congress died in a road accident hours after his election was declared null and void by the district Judge. Gamang was elected as Rayagada ZP President on March 12, 2017.
BJD candidate Gangadhar Puala challenged Gamang’s election in the district court that nullified it in December 2018. The Congress leader then moved the Orissa High Court (HC) against the ruling. In September last year, the HC directed Gamang to present his stance in the Rayagada District and Sessions Judge Court, where the judge nullified the election again.