On the last day of the deadline to challenge the 2014 election results on Monday, at least nine more candidates filed their petitions in the Odisha High Court taking the total number of election petitions in HC to 16.
The results of the elections to lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly were declared on May 16, and as per the Representation of People’s Act, a candidate can challenge the outcome of the elections within 45 days of the declaration of results.
While seven candidates, including BJD leader and former Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya, Congress stalwarts lalatendu Bidydhar Mohapatra and Subal Sahu and former MP and Aama Odisha president Soumya Ranjan Patnaik had challenged the poll results last week, Congress Nabarangpur MP candidate Pradeep Majhi, BJD MlA candidate Hema Gamang and seven others approached the High Court challenging the poll results on Monday.
Senior High Court advocate Pitambar Acharya alone is handling 10 out of the 16 election petitions, saying this is for the first time such a large number of candidates from all major parties have challenged the elections results.“Most of the candidates have challenged the results alleging that the process of polling and the process of counting were vitiated for noncompliance of provisions under the Representation of People’s Act and the Rules framed under the Act,” Acharya said, adding that the High Court has not taken cognizance of the petitions yet.