Odisha rural poll: BJP comes down heavily on BJD for violence
The Hindu
State BJP president Sameer Mohanty led a delegation to the State Election Commissioner and urged him to ensure free and fair polling in the remaing four phases of elections
A day after Odisha witnessed large scale violence in first phase of rural poll, the State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday came down heavily on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) alleging that latter resorted to using muscle power to win people’s mandate.
State BJP president Sameer Mohanty led a delegation to the State Election Commissioner and urged him to ensure free and fair polling in the remaing four phases of elections to three tier panchayati raj institution. More than 100 people were injured in the poll violence on Wednesday.
Mr. Mohanty held a press conference and accused the BJD of perpetrating violence in the election. “In last election, we lost 13 party members in panchayat elections. In 2019 election, a senior BJP leader was killed in Khordha district. This election has not been an exception. The ruling party with the support of police administration has launched a reign of terror during the current election,” he alleged.
“The poll violence has reached a pinnacle. The ruling party is shamelessly distributing money to bribe voters in broad daylight. A video showing the brother of Patnagarh MLA handing over currency notes by using police vehicle had gone viral,” said the State BJP president.
“Similarly, a Minister’s daugher was seen distributing money among women by sitting with self help group members in Jharsuguda. The BJD has resorted to booth capturing which has been recorded in video. People know who is behind the electoral violence,” Mr. Mohanty said, daring the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to make the election free and fair.
Meanwhile, Bharathi Rath, Samiti Sabhya candidate in Sankukei panchayat of Dhenkanal district, has registered a complaint that her husband Chinmaya Dash had gone missing. His scooter with blood stains had been seized. Family members allege that political enmity could be behind the kidnapping.
Violence was reported from Puri, Jajpur and Dhenkanal district on Wednesday. Subsequently, the State Election Commissioner sought reports from the Collectors of the three districts and asked the Director General of Police to take action against troublemakers.
A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Election Officer for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency M. P. Mullai Muhilan said here on Friday that over 600 staff will be involved in the counting of votes cast in the April 26 elections, at the counting centre at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka, Surathkal, on June 4.