CEO calls BJD to discuss RS poll row on May 11

Bhubaneswar: The chief electoral officer (CEO) of Odisha has asked BJD to depute a team on May 11 to discuss its complaint alleging illegal issuance of second ballot papers to two MLAs during the March Rajya Sabha elections, an issue the party had earlier flagged before the Election Commission of India (ECI).A BJD statement said deputy leader of opposition Prasanna Acharya will lead the delegation. Chief whip Pramila Mallik, deputy chief whip Pratap Deb, MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo and Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra, who filed the petition before chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, will be part of the team. In his petition, Patra alleged that the issuance of second ballot papers to MLAs Purna Chandra Sethi and Upasna Mohapatra violated the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. He sought rejection of the votes cast by them using the second ballot papers.