Soon after the arrest of three Congress workers in connection with the post-poll violence in Ali and Kendrapada town, the State Congress on Monday slammed the Election Commission (EC) for not taking any action against Marshaghai Block Development Officer (BDO) Sushanta Kumar Pati, who illegally kept EVMs in a Government vehicle near his home.
Notably, a mob assaulted Pati after they found 28 pairs of electronic voting machines kept in a Government vehicle that was parked near his residence. The mob also ransacked his house. Police reached the site and rescued him and shifted him to a local hospital.
Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said, “Elections should not only be fair, they should also appear to be fair. When violating poll norms, EVMs were found in a vehicle of a Government officer after the end of the polling time and it was natural for people to suspect foul play.”
“It is shocking as to why no action has yet been taken against the law breaker, Mishra said, adding, “The role of the CEO cannot be above suspicion, particularly when no immediate action was taken against the person (BDO) who violated the law.”
When the entire State is abuzz with the allegation against the ruling BJD for its involvement in large-scale tampering of EVMs, it would only be proper for the Election Commission to fix CCTV cameras in all strong rooms where the voting machines are stored,” said Mishra.