Jajpur: Allegations of severe irregularities in the identification of sensitive booths have surfaced in Jajpur district. The officials have identified 281 booths as sensitive out of 1,637 booths under the Jajpur Lok Sabha segment. However, allegations are rife that severe irregularities have been committed in the identification of sensitive booths. The matter came to the fore after a social activist Pratap Kumar Jena filed a complaint before the Election Commission of India (ECI), Saturday.
The ECI admitted the complaint and apprised the concerned officer through the National Grievance Services Portal (NGSP) and also forwarded the email to him for quick response on the matter. The ECI has also informed the complainant about the action taken by it on the issue. The complainant has alleged that the concerned officials engaged in identifying sensitive booths have filed false reports on these booths at the behest of the ruling party in the state. They have done this to facilitate booth rigging and capturing in the actual sensitive booths. Sukinda block is not the lone block in the district where actual sensitive booths have been written off from the list of sensitive booths. Such irregularity has allegedly been committed in some other blocks of Jajpur district. He has demanded before the ECI to issue a public clarification and ensure that no such irregularity takes place in future.
According to the complaint, 39 booths have been identified as sensitive booths under Sukinda Assembly constituency in Jajpur district. However, more than half of those booths are not at all sensitive, it is alleged. The complainant has claimed that CCTV cameras have been established in these booths without any necessity, while the booths that are sensitive and hyper-sensitive have been excluded from the list. It is apprehended that the law and order situation in these booths could go out of hand during the election scheduled for June 1, Saturday. The officials have not taken any preventive measures. As per records, recent surveys and intelligence reports, 32 booths under this Assembly constituency are hyper-sensitive and the chances of rigging looms large on these booths.
These booths are Deogaon, Ardapal, Ragada, Benagadia-1, Benagadia-2, Chingudipal-1, Chingudipal-2 under Chingudipal panchayat, Gurujang, Kaliapani1, Kaliapani-2, Kaliapani-3, Kaliapani-4 under Kaliapani panchayat and Kalrangiatta-1, Kalrangiatta-2, Kalrangiatta-3, Kalrangiatta-4, Ransol, Mahulakhai and Kusumundia under Ransol panchayat. Similarly, Champajhar, Tomka under Kiajhar panchayat, Santargadia and Goudbahali under Uchhabali panchayat, Chandia under Chandia panchayat, Rabana-1, Rabana-2, Dasamania under Mantira panchayat, Jakhpura-1, Jakhpura-2, Jakhpura-3 and Jakhpura-4 under Jakhpura panchayat and the Chakua booth under Khapuriapada panchayat have been categorised as hyper-sensitive booths. Names of some of these booths have been uploaded in the civil evidence section of ECI portal and complaints have been filed.