Baripada: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly opposed the district administration’s recommendation to the State Election Commission to hold re-polling at five booths in the district on the grounds of alleged irregularities during the fourth phase of polling.
Meanwhile, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate and party workers have started public meetings and rallies in these areas. MLA candidate Sarojini Hembram and MP candidate Debasis Marandi of BJD conducted public meetings at Bhugudakata and Purnachandrapur in Baripada Monday evening.
Tuesday, BJP spokesperson Kabi Bishnu Sathpathy, Baripada MLA candidate Prakash Soren and other mainstream leaders of BJP met the Collector and gave him a memorandum in this regard.
The Collector said the District Election Commission has taken this decision because there is no match found in between EVM and VVPAT machines of these booths.
It may be noted that taking cognizance of irregularities and incidents of violence at five booths during the fourth phase of polls in Mayurbhanj district, the District Election Commissioner Vinit Bhardwaj Friday recommended re-polling in those five booths to the State Election Commission.
As per his information, re-polling will be held in the five booths of Baripada and Bangiriposi Assembly constituency over rigging allegations. The five booths are No.16 of Bhugudakata, No.19 of Purnachandrapur, No. 166 of Khanua-2 and No. 248 of Athapara under Baripada Assembly constituency and No.104 of Khakharuasol under Bangiriposi constituency.
Saturday, a BJP delegation led by district party unit president Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, party’s Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha candidate Bisweswar Tudu, Baripada MLA Prakash Soren, Baripada town unit president Bijya Das and other mainstream leaders visited the Collector’s office but could not meet the Collector. However, the officials whom they had met were reported to have told them that they could not take any steps regarding this matter in the absence of the Collector.
BJP leader Mohapatra told a press conference that no poll-violence had taken place at the booths which were recommended for re-poll by the Election Commissioner in his report. The presiding officers had given written letters pointing out the smooth conduct of voting in these booths to the District Election Commissioner, he claimed. Mohapatra wanted to know on what basis the Election Commissioner had decided to conduct re-poll in these booths.
However, the saffron party is against the decision of re-polling in the Assembly constituencies.
PNN