Assault on Sameer Mishra: BJP expels nine leaders

Nine party functionaries were expelled from BJP in Odisha today in connection with the unruly scenes during Sunday's election for Zilla Paridhad Chairman's post in Sambalpur district.
BJP Odisha president Basant Panda expelled the nine leaders two days after the incident in which the party's state vice-president Sameer Mohanty was assaulted, state BJP General Secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said.
"Stringent action will be taken against those indulging in acts of indiscipline," he said.
The nine were the party's state executive committee member Girish Patel, Sambalpur district unit vice-president Sameer Ranjan Babu, youth wing leaders Aswini Majhi, Kanhu Sharma and Shiva Diwan and district leaders Prince Soni, Gopal Agarwal, Raja Barad and Mantu Agarwal.

Earlier, senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra and 10 others had been suspended from the party in connection with the alleged assault on Sameer Mohanty, who was also an observer during election for the post of Chairperson of Sambalpur Zilla Parishad.
Besides Mishra, the state party chief has also suspended state executive member Nauri Nayak and nine newly elected ZP members for six years.