Bhubaneswar, April 21 -- The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Odisha has directed the Collectors of Sambalpur and Khurda to probe the allegations of poll code violation levelled against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.

The CEO asked the two Collectors to submit the probe reports within 24 hours.

Representatives of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had earlier lodged separate complaints against Pradhan, Mishra and Sarangi for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conducts (MCCs) while campaigning for 2024 polls in the state.

In its complaint, the BJD alleged that Pradhan, the BJP nominee for Samba...