Dhamnagar Bypoll: BJP’s Cash-For-Vote Allegation A Stunt To Deviate Voters’ Attention, Says BJD

Bhubaneswar: With opposition BJP accusing ruling BJD of resorting to cash for vote in byelection to Dhamnagar Assembly seat in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, the latter has retaliated by saying that it was a stunt to deviate the attention of the voters.

The BJP has already met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) SK Lohani twice and submitted memorandum alleging that the BJD was distributing money through various means to influence the voters in the constituency. On Friday, a delegation of the saffron party led by its general secretary Lekhashri Samantsinghar demanded before the CEO to ban use of mobile phone during voting in the byelection.

The BJP alleged that the BJD was alluring the voters by saying that it would give money to anybody who would produce the photo of voting in favour of the ruling party in the bypoll. There have been several instances of the BJD giving money for votes in earlier elections too, it added.

Earlier, the opposition party had complained to the CEO that the BJD was organising the meetings of SHGs under the Mission Shakti programme and engaging government officials to give them money to distribute among the voters.

In his reaction to the allegations, government chief whip Prashant Muduli told the media persons that the opposition party had panicked for the impeding defeat in the byelection. “Since they do not have any issues to fight against BJD, they were making such allegations to deviate the attention of the voters from the election,” he added.

Stating that the BJD government has always considered pros and cons of all issues and incidents and taken appropriate actions, Muduli said investigation into those is going on at different levels.

He further said chief minister Naveen Patnaik has a single-point agenda of zero tolerance towards law and order issue and corruption. “All the party leaders and workers are aware of the chief minister’s view. The BJD is not perturbed by the non-issues raised by the opposition,” he added.