The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday asked the Kendrapara Collector-cum-District Magistrate and the Poll Observer for the district to submit reports on the allegation levelled by the Congress that the ruling BJD Kendrapada MlA and the Pattamundai BDO hatched a conspiracy to ensure unopposed win of the MlA’s wife as Penthapala panchayat samiti member.
“The Kendrapara Collector and the Poll Observer for the district have been asked to give reports on the allegation of forged withdrawal of nominations by today evening. Action will be taken after the report is submitted,” said SEC Secretary Rabindra Nath Sahu.
On Sunday, the Congress lodged an FIR against Kendrapada MlA Kishore Tarai and Pattamundai BDO Prashant Kumar Swain alleging that they hatched a plot in withdrawing the nominations of Gayatru Sethy and Pramila Mallik, who along with the MlA’s wife Babita Tarai had filed nominations for Penthapala panchayat samiti member in Pattamundai block.
The party alleged that using forged signatures of Sethy and Mallik, the BDO declared that they had withdrawn from the contest, thereby facilitating an uncontested victory of the MlA’s wife.
Congress activists had gheraoed the Pattamundai block office protesting against the cancellation of the two nomination paers. They claimed that the two dalit candidates never applied for withdrawal.
“As Mallik and Sethy never submitted their withdrawal papers, how could they be shown to have withdrawn from the pollsIJ” questioned senior Congress leader Ganeswar Behera of the district.