BJD writes Lok Sabha Speaker to accept Baijayant Panda’s resignation

Bhubaneswar: The BJD Parliamentary Party (BJDPP) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday requesting her to immediately accept the resignation of Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda.

“This is with regard to Mr. Baijayant Panda who was elected to Kendrapara Lok Sabha Constituency of Odisha in the 2014 general elections on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) symbol and party ticket. He has been consistently engaging himself in anti party activities as a result of which the party was constrained to suspend him from the party, which fact was duly communicated to your august office,” the letter of BJDPP read.

BJDPP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab and chief whip Tathagat Satpathy have stated in the letter that since Baijayant has voluntarily given up his primary membership of the BJD and has reportedly sent his resignation as Lok Sabha MP to Speaker’s office, he cannot continue as an MP as per the terms of the Tenth Schedule of the constitution of India pertaining to anti defection provisions.

In law he stands disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP but now that he has resigned of his own accord, the proceedings for his disqualification under the Tenth Schedule need not be initiated by our party, the letter added.

The letter has requested the Speaker to kindly accept Baijayant’s resignation forth-with since he ceases to be an MP as per provisions of the Constitution and the law, so that the necessary consequences may obtain and follow.

Baijayant was suspended from the primary membership of BJD by the party supremo Naveen Patnaik on January 24 on charges of his involvement in anti party activities.

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