BARIPADA: Sensing a nexus between Baripada municipality officials and the BJD to ensure the party candidate’s win in the upcoming elections, residents of ward 9 here have alleged discrepancies in the voters’ list and demanded immediate rectification on Friday. They submitted a memorandum and sought the intervention of the Collector and State Election Commissioner into the matter.
As per the residents’ claims, names of more than 150 voters from ward no 9 are missing from the voters’ list and included in lists of other wards. Similarly, names of more than 200 voters residing in Sungadia and Station Bazaar under ward 20 have been included in ward 9.
Ward residents Sanjay Kumar Das, Pradipta Kishore Samal, Rajkishore Prusty, Bikram Keshari Jena and a few others said they had raised the issue twice earlier but to no avail. Municipality officials admitted the mistakes and assured to rectify the list but have not done anything yet, they said.
Meanwhile, members of Bhanja Sena staged demonstration in front of Baripada municipality office on the day. They demanded immediate dismissal of Baripada ITDA officer Basanta Sethy who is the election officer for the municipality, and other officers for allegedly manipulating the voters’ lists.
The outfit has called a 12-hour Baripada bandh in this connection on March 11. Contacted, Collector Vineet Bhardwaj said the administration has already issued the final voters’ lists of 28 wards of the municipality on February 26 as per rule. The voters will cast their votes in wards concerned.