BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha candidate Niranjan Bishi has 16 criminal cases pending against him and was acquitted in another case, the regional party declared on Tuesday.
Complying with the March 6, 2020, direction of the Election Commission of India in pursuance with the Supreme Court’s February 13, 2020 order, under which political parties have to make criminal antecedents of candidates public and reasons why others without criminal antecedents can’t be selected in their places, the BJD has declared that Bishi has cases of rioting, provocation, use of arms, wrongful restraint, use of obscene words, damage to public property, defamation, intimidation and criminal conspiracy, among others, against him.
The cases are under various stages of trial in Balangir, Sainala, Titilagarh and Bangomunda, all in Balangir district. Bishi has, however, never been convicted in any case.
On why Bishi was selected, the BJD said the graduate in political science and history and law degree holder was active in championing the cause of tribals since 1985 and has been leading the tribal movement.
