Setback for Odisha’s Tirtol MLA as marriage application rejected

Cuttack: Amid an ongoing dispute between Tirtol MLA Bijaya Shankar Das and his rumoured girlfriend Somalika Dash, the BJD legislator faced a setback as his application for marriage registration with another woman was rejected.

The District Sub Registrar Office, Cuttack, turned down the application submitted by the Bijaya Shankar on the grounds of furnishing ‘inaccurate information’ regarding himself and his prospective bride.

Earlier, Somalika had lodged a complaint at Cuttack sub-registrar office objecting to the application alleging Bijaya Shankar of producing wrong credentials for the registration of marriage.

Later, she moved to the Orissa High Court seeking a stay on the marriage registration applied by Bijaya Shankar with another woman.

According to reports, Bijaya Shankar had submitted an application on September 21, 2023, for registration of marriage with one Pratyusha Nanda, a resident of Cuttack city, at the District Sub Registrar Office, Cuttack.

Somalika had earlier alleged the MLA of not turning up for marriage at a court in Jagatsinghpur even as the two had applied for marriage registration at the office of the sub-registrar in the district.

She also accused him of running a sex racket.

She alleged that the MLA engaged innocent girls in the illegal activity. The money collected through the sex racket was used by the MLA for election-related expenses.