The BJD being jittery over facing defeat in the Patkura elections, committed irregularities in the booths, alleged the BJP here on Sunday.

Addressing a Press meet, party State general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar said the EVMs were tampered with and changed through the Presiding Officers. The Returning Officers also acted as tools for the ruling party.

She said that several videos of the BJP agents being not allowed to enter the booths, changing of EVMS in the jungles, vandalisation of EVMS and keeping the machines in open places are doing the rounds in social media. She alleged that all these irregularities were committed at the instructions of the BJD.

Samantsinghar further alleged that the Presiding Officers did not conduct the polls impartially.

 During voting, there was tension in several places. In many booths, the Presiding Officers didn’t seal the EVMS properly and tried to change them in the strong room. The videos of two Presiding Officers tampering with EVMs have gone viral, she said.             

Out of the 309 booths, 307 booths’ EVMs have reached the strong room, but there is no information about two others. The EVMs of booth No. 220 in Nahalpur and booth No. 294 in Nadiaagrei haven’t reached the strong room, she said.

The BJD is trying to win the election by changing the EVMs, Samantsinghar alleged.

In reaction, BJD leader Sashi Bhusan Behera said it has become a habit of the BJP to level such false accusations. The BJP knows well that it is going to be defeated in Patkura; so it is making these allegations, he said.