Pipili Bypoll: Govt Officials Using Their Position To Campaign For BJD, Alleges BJP

Puri: The State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday met the Odisha Chief Election Commissioner complaining about alleged promotion of the BJD candidate in Pipili by-election by a doctor posted at Pipili.

As per reports, the doctor in question, Abinash Rath who has been employed at the Pipili Community Health Center (CHC) allegedly shared a post in his Facebook page urging his friends to vote for BJD in the election.

Smelling rat, a BJP team led by spokesperson Jatin Mohanty, Sonali Sahu and party's legal cell advisor Jayant Jena reached the office of the Odisha CEO and lodged a complaint in this connection requesting top election official to take stringent action against the doctor.

The BJP team also submitted the list of its 30 star campaigners who will be campaigning for their candidate Ashrit Pattanayak in Pipili.

The list includes, State BJP President Sameer Mohanty, BJP National VP Baijayant Panda, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP's Odisha In-Charge D Purandeswari and Union Minister Pratap Sarangi among others.

It is worthwhile to mention here that, the Assembly constituency of Pipili, which has been lying vacant since the demise of MLA Pradeep Maharathy last year, will go to bypoll on March 17, 2021.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)