Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar recommended Saturday fresh polls at 12 polling booths in the state including booth No 62 in the Bramhagiri Assembly constituency. The ballot unit of the said booth has gone missing, for which the CEO has suggested re-polling.
Among others, the booth of Satyabadi Assembly segment, where BJP candidate Om Prakash Mishra allegedly smashed the EVM was reported. The CEO took a notice on it and ordered re-polling in the same booth once more.
The CEO came out with a press note to announce the move. In a media release, the CEO said, “On the day of poll after completion of poll during the receipt of polled EVMs at the reception centre in Puri, the polled EVMs for booth No-62-Gadibrahma Primary School, Baghamunda under 108-Brahmagiri AC were dully received at the reception counter while the ballot unot and the VVPAT machines were stored at a designated place earmarked for the machines pertaining to the said booth,”
It also added, “Due to purely human error, the control unit was mistakenly kept in some other strong room other than the designated one. The error was noticed at the time of sealing the strong room by the returning officer-cum-DEO, Puri in presence of the candidates. This error was forthwith reported. Based on this report and order to ensure complete transparency and credibility of the polling process, CEO Odisha has already recommended for taking fresh polls in case of booth No. 62 to the Election Commission,”
Re-polling has been ordered in some of the booths in the constituencies of Baramba, Deogarh, Satyabadi, Talcher, Athagar and Bhubaneswar Central.