Ghasipura: With only a few hours to go for the third-round polls in Odisha, a flying squad team on Friday detained a BJD leader with over Rs 5 lakh in cash in Padana area under Ghasipura Assembly constituency of Keonjhar district.
The BJD leader has been identified as Pradip Kumar Sahu aka Tulu Sahoo. He is the sarpanch of Ramachandrapur.
According to sources, the cash along with party posters was seized from his vehicle. Tulu is said to be a close aide of BJD’s MLA nominee from Ghasipura Badri Narayan Patra and it is being alleged that he has been distributing cash in different villages in the constituency to garner support for him. He is also the district coordinator of Jeevan Bandhu programme of the BJD.
Following the seizure, Tulu was detained at Ramachandrapur police station but later released.
Also Read: Odisha Elections 2024: Will Pre-Poll Violence Give Soumya Ranjan Patnaik An Edge In Ghasipura
Meanwhile, independent candidate from Ghasipura Soumya Ranjan Patnaik has appealed to the Election Commission of India to ensure smooth polling in sensitive booths under the Assembly constituency.
