BHUBANESWAR: BJP on Saturday urged the chief election officer (CEO) not to assign any election duty to government officials who are residents of the Padampur Assembly constituency. A delegation of BJP led by party general secretary Golak Mohapatra met the representative of the CEO and submitted a memorandum requesting a restriction on the use of mobile phones when voting is in progress for the by-election.
The saffron party leaders also requested the CEO to ensure free and fair elections by taking appropriate action against ministers, MLAs and government officials who are violating the model code of conduct. Alleging that a large number of government employees of Panchayati Raj, Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti and Urban Development departments are openly influencing voters to cast their votes for the BJD candidate, Mohapatra urged the CEO to keep a close watch.