The Congress and the BJP have demanded re-polling in several booths in the Chikiti Assembly constituency in Ganjam district alleging misuse of administrative machinery for rigging and other malpractices during polling on April 10.
leaders of the two parties have further alleged that the Polling and Presiding Officers were nominated by the Government in several booths keeping in view the convenience of the ruling BJD in order to boost its electoral prospects. Right from day one, both police and civil administration acted in collusion with the ruling party.
It may be mentioned that the election campaigning of both the BJP and the Congress had been deliberately obstructed at several places in Chikiti leading to transfer of the DIG (Police), Southern Division, but without any change on the ground.
The so-called free and fair election in the Brahmapur Parliamentary constituency was a mere eyewash without any relevance to ground reality. Several booths in the Chikiti segment like Patti Sonepur, Ramachandrapur, Sanapadar, Krushnapur, Haripur, Rankuda, Kanida, Khariaguda, Katuru and Kolathia, booths were reportedly captured at the behest of the BJD.
Moreover, the leaders of the Opposition also alleged that at several booths even after marking the ink on the finger, people were not allowed to go to EVMs to cast their votes and were told to go out of the booths with the polling staff remaining mute spectators. The EVM buttons were reportedly pressed by the ruling party agents on behalf of the voters in several villages in Chikiti block.
A first-time young voter said, “When I went to the booth, my vote was already cast by someone else; hence I came back disappointed.” The voters were in panic and did not wish to be identified nor were interested to lodge any complain apprehending post-poll attack by ruling party workers, said an insider.
The BJP had requested the Chief Electoral Officer on March 28 to deploy CRPF and install CCTVs cameras in more than 30 highly sensitive booths which were prone to rigging and booth capturing, but all in vain. According to sources, the General Observers appointed by the Election Commission were misled by the local police and administration and were feeling helpless and they mostly concentrated in urban areas.
The BJP and Congress leaders have demanded a thorough probe into these matters and holding of re-polling wherever rigging and booth capturing took place.