Bhubaneswar: The BJD has announced to replicate the Padampur formula in the 2024 twin polls, but they are not ready to disclose what transpired behind closed doors and the deal with Congress, former BJP MLA Pradip Purohit, who lost the recent bypoll to political greenhorn Barsha Singh Bariha by 42,679 votes, said on Saturday.
Elaborating further, he alleged that the ruling party managed the Congress votes and planned a Rs 1 crore budget to influence voters and workers of rival parties. “The rivals were threatened and booths were captured. They unleashed a reign of terror in the constituency. This is what they call the Padampur formula,” he said.
Purohit said that the Congress nominee was picked on the direction of BJD as was the case in 2019. “A deal was struck during a three-hour meeting between Odisha Health Minister Naba Das and Satya Bhuban Sahu even before the names of the nominees were announced,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra, however, termed these allegations as irrational and illogical. “Naba Das had quit Congress, and so, he is a traitor to the party. So on what basis did he strike a deal with Congress?” he asked.
He further refuted his buying and selling allegation. “Purohit lost the bypoll and that too by over 42,000 votes, so he is trying to justify his defeat by making such claims,” he added.
