Supreme Court Rejects Arun Sahoo’s Plea, Orders Quick Poll Petition Hearing

The Supreme Court has dismissed Nayagarh MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo’s plea seeking to quash a poll petition challenging his 2024 Assembly election victory.

The apex court directed the Orissa High Court to conclude the hearing within six months.

The petition was filed by BJP candidate Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh, who alleged that Sahoo’s nomination papers were improperly accepted by the Returning Officer, violating statutory provisions.

Earlier, the Orissa High Court had refused to dismiss Singh’s petition without a detailed hearing, prompting Sahoo to approach the Supreme Court.

With this ruling, the way is now clear for a full hearing of the election petition before the High Court.

Sahoo, a senior BJD leader, secured his fifth consecutive win from Nayagarh in 2024, defeating Singh by a narrow margin of 439 votes.