High Stakes For BJD, BJP As Campaigning Ends In Bijepur

Bargarh: The showdown between the ruling BJD and BJP continues till D-day of the ensuing byelection to the Bijepur Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Bargarh district.

Sources said a team of BJP leaders including Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram, state BJP president Basanta Panda and leader of BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo met Bargarh district collector Yamini Sarangi and discussed matters relating to free and fair elections.

Among others, Bargarh SP Jai Narayan Pankaj and poll observers were present at the meeting.

Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Pradhan said the team urged the district collector to keep BJD leader and minister Sushant Singh out of the Bijepur constituency during the elections as he has been terrorising people to vote for his party candidate, and monitor his movement through video surveillance in all sensitive booths of Bijepur.

He also alleged that some senior bureaucrats are working for the BJD in Bijepur.

Commenting on Pradhan’s statement, BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said if the BJP has any evidence of criminal activities against Sushant Singh, let it submit those to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Meanwhile, Bargarh collector had a meeting with the election observers about the arrangements made for the byelection.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, she said out of a total of 281 polling booths, 155 have been identified as sensitive and 21 as highly sensitive. Besides, CCTV cameras have been installed at 20 booths to monitor polling while webcasting of the process will be made in 20 other booths. Provisions have been made to engage micro observers in 40 booths.