Odisha elections 2019: Election Commission bars at least 55 from contesting polls

BHUBANESWAR: At least 55 persons, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections either as independent or on different party tickets in Odisha cannot try their luck in the 2019 simultaneous polls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has barred them from contesting the ensuing elections as they had missed the deadline of submitting their accounts of election expenditure to the ECI.

According to the ECI rules, candidates must furnish details of their accounts of election expenses within 30 days of announcement of results. In 2014, the election results were declared on May 16.

"We found that 55 persons, who had contested the 2014 elections, did not submit their accounts of election expenditure in time. They have been disqualified under Section 10A of Representation of the People Act, 1951," joint chief electoral officer (Odisha) Raghuram Iyer told TOI.

ECI rules said the disqualification period remains in force for three years from the date of issuance of the disqualification order. What is worse in case of the 55 candidates is that their disqualification period will end only after completion of the 2019 election process. While results of the 2019 elections are scheduled to be declared on May 23, the 55 candidates will face disqualification up to 2020, 2021 and 2022. The disqualification period for some candidates will end in September 2019.

Though the previous general elections ended in May 2014, the disqualification axe fell on the 55 persons in different months of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as the candidates were given additional deadlines, notices and reminders to submit their accounts of election expenditure. When they ignored repeated notices, the ECI disqualified them.