Odisha BJP demands re-polling in 9 'rigged' booths of Athagarh

Bhubaneswar: Alleging rigging, the Odisha unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded re-polling in nine booths of Atagarh Assembly constituency.

A delegation of the saffron party led by Cuttack Lok Sabha candidate and former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra and party's state Vice-President Samir Mohanty met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha and alleged that their party agents were thrown out and outsiders barged into the polling booths and voted dauntlessly. The BJP leaders urged the CEO to conduct re-polling in those booths.

“There were no security arrangements in the pooling stations due to which outsiders entered the booths and our agents were thrown out. Several people even voted illegally. We met the CEO and apprised him about the matter. He has assured to investigate the incident. Besides, we requested him to conduct voting again in these booths,” said Mishra while speaking to the newsmen after meeting the CEO.

On the other hand, the ruling-BJD spokesperson, Sasmit Patra questioned, "Was no rigging taking place when you (Prakash Mishra) were the DGP of the state? If rigging was going on, then you would have spoken about it. You never reported any rigging during your tenure as an administrator because it was not happening. Even now, rigging does not happen. However, you are bringing allegations because of your vested political interests.”

The Athagarh Assembly constituency under the Cuttack Parliamentary segment went to polls in the third phase on April 23.