CPI to move contempt case against State Election Commissioner

Bhubaneswar, Jan 21 (UNI) Orissa CPI unit today threatened to move a contempt case against State Election Commissioner (SEC) S C Hota for debarring the party use its election symbol in the three tier Panchayat elections in the state.

CPI state secretary Nityananda Pradhan alleged that despite clear order by the Orissa High Court, the SEC has refused to allot the party's election symbol for the candidates contesting the Zilla Parishad members posts.

Mr Pradhan had described the action of SEC depriving the CPI candidates to use the party symbol in the elections as a political conspiracy in which the SEC has been acting as 'agent' of the ruling BJD-BJP coalition government.

The CPI secretary have admitted that the party made a mistake by not filing form 17 before the state election commission before January second but clarified that there was no circular from the SEC to the political parties to submit the form along with the nomination forms.

He said since the SEC did not accept form 12 after January second, the CPI moved the High Court which after hearing ordered that the Election Officers should consider the case of CPI candidates who had filed form 18 along with the nomination papers.

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