HC takes up four poll petitions, issues notices to respondents

Taking up four election petitions for adjudication, the Orissa High Court today issued notices to opposite parties and decided that the next hearing would be held in the first week of August.
Two separate single judge benches took up the petitions that challenged the elections results of Rengali, Bijepur, Bhawanipatna and Jharsuguda assembly constituencies declared on May 16.
While Justice Debabrata Dash issued notices to the respondents in the petitions filed by Rengali BJP leader Nauri Nayak, Bijepur BJD leader and former minister Prasanna Acharya and Bhawanipatna Congress leader Dushmant Naik, the bench of Justice S K Mishra issued notices to the respondents in Jharsuguda BJD leader Kishore Mohanty's petition.

The respondents were asked to file their counter affidavits within three weeks.
BJP leader Nauri Nayak lost the elections by 1830 votes to BJD's Ramesh Patua in a nine-corner contest in Rengali.
Senior BJD leader Prasanna Achrya challenged the election of Congress' Subal Sahu in Bijepur segment.
Senior BJD leader Kishore Mohanty challenged the election of Congress' Naba Das from Jharsuguda segment where Mohanty lost to Das by a margin of 1563 votes in a nine-corner contest.
In the petition pertaining to the election results of Bhawanipatna segment, Congress' Dushmant Naik challenged the victory of BJD's Anam Naik.