Kendrapara: Hundreds of BJP activists led by Kendrapara district BJP president Duryodhan Sahu Tuesday staged a demonstration in front of district collectorate demanding early polling in Patkura Assembly seat.
The BJP leaders alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had provided false information to Election Commission of India (ECI) that cyclone Fani would hit Kendrapara and sought postponement of the Patkura Assembly election.
They said coastal district of Kendrapara, including Patkura Assembly constituency, has not been affected as severely as projected by the state government which has provided only three days of relief.
Sahu said normal life has been restored at Patkura and the district administration has also granted permission for opera shows in the namesake town.
He alleged that the district collector and the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) without sending any observer to take stock of the situation in Patkura had recommended postponing the election at the behest of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
BJD nominee of Patkura Assembly constituency Sabitri Agrawalla, was also seen distributing relief materials with the government officials in clear violation of the model code of conduct.
The BJP activists said although all these matters were brought to the notice of the Election |Commission no steps have so far been taken to fix up a fresh date for holding an election to Patkura Assembly seat.
The BJP supporters demanded before the District election officer to recommend to the Election Commission to fix up election date and schedule for Patkura Assembly constituency.
The election to the Patkura Assembly seat, scheduled for the fourth phase April 23 could not be held as BJD nominee, Bed Prakash Agrawalla died April 20.
The ECI had issued a fresh notification to hold the election in Patkura on May 19 but later postponed it for sixty days after extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani hit the Puri coast May 3 and caused devastation in the coastal districts.
The BJP agitators demanded that the poll process in the Patkura Assembly be completed much before the monsoon hit the state mid-June.
(UNI)