BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Tuesday alleged that the BJP violated the model code of conduct on the polling day in the Nuapada by-election with workers of the party entering several polling booths and pressurising voters to cast their franchise in favour of their candidate Jay Dholakia.
In a memorandum submitted to the CEO, the BJD alleged that such incidents have been reported from booth numbers 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, and 15 under Khariar Road NAC. Alleging that the government officials present there did not take any step despite witnessing the violations, the BJD demanded strong action against them.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said BJP’s attempts to manipulate public opinion pose a grave threat to democracy. He, however, expressed confidence that the conscious citizens of Nuapada will give an appropriate response to the BJP’s condemnable activities.
In a separate memorandum, the BJD alleged that numerous individuals, allegedly brought in from Chhattisgarh and other parts of Odisha, had been systematically planted by the BJP in the vicinity of key polling booths. These persons posing as real voters, entered several booths and fraudulently voted in favour of BJP candidate Jay Dholakia, it added.
Meanwhile, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Bhakta Charan Das alleged that BJP workers were distributing slips with photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to voters outside the booths to influence them. The Congress demanded that the election be cancelled, else the party will launch an agitation across the state.