BJD Targets CEO On Poll Schedule In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Monday targeted the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, Surendra Kumar on the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections beginning April 11.

Briefing media at the party office here, BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik said that going by the four-phase election schedule in Odisha as announced by the ECI, it appears that the CEO has been influenced by BJP.

Justifying his allegation, Patnaik said that in terms of the number of Lok Sabha seats, Andhra Pradesh (25) and Gujarat (26) have more seats than Odisha (21). “The fact is, while Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have single-phase polling on April 11 and April 23 respectively, why has the EC decided to conduct LS polls in four-phases in Odisha? From this, it now seems that the election schedule has been prepared to suit the BJP. In states where the BJP’s prospects are weak, multiple phases of elections have been scheduled,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday brought to the fore allegations against BJD on the violation of the model code of conduct.

A delegation of the saffron party met the CEO at his office here and submitted a memorandum alleging that the ruling party is yet to remove several hoardings highlighting its welfare schemes. They also alleged that in most of the PDS outlets, four LED bulbs are being provided to each poor household free of cost under ‘Ama Ghare LED Light Karyakrama’ scheme of the state government.