Odisha Assembly witnessed chaos during Rajya Sabha voting as BJP and BJD agents clashed over the ballot of MLA Upasana Mohapatra, stalling the process for nearly 40 minutes.
The controversy erupted when Upasana Mohapatra collected her ballot paper and prepared to cast her vote. Before dropping it into the box, she pointed out overwriting on the paper and requested a fresh ballot. BJD polling agents Pratap Deb and Pramila Mallik objected, citing Rule 41, which prohibits issuing two ballot papers to a single voter.
BJP representatives Irasis Acharya and Santosh Khatua argued in her favour, demanding a new ballot. Congress agent Aravind Das also opposed the move, insisting the vote should be cancelled since overwriting was revealed publicly. Heated exchanges followed, with BJD candidate Santrupt Mishra and independent candidate Datteswar Hota joining the protest.
The dispute halted voting for 40 minutes as arguments intensified inside the polling chamber. Eventually, election officials accepted Upasana’s plea and issued her a second ballot paper, allowing her to vote again.
Pramila Mallik condemned the decision, calling it unprecedented in India’s electoral history. BJD president Naveen Patnaik also criticised the move, labelling it “completely undemocratic” and a violation of election rules. He accused officials of destroying democratic norms by permitting a second ballot.
