Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has dismissed an election petition challenging the victory of Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan, bringing an end to the long-pending case over the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

A single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra rejected the original election petition filed by Subash Mahapatra, observing that the plea was “frivolous, baseless, propagandist, politically motivated,” and did not satisfy mandatory requirements under Section 83(1) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951. The court had admitted an interim application moved by Pradhan seeking dismissal of the case.

The petition, filed in 2024, had sought to declare Pradhan’s election from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat void, alleging that he had not furnished

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