Bhubaneswar: Following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent claims of voter list manipulation, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Das has alleged irregularities during the twin elections in the state last year.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday evening, Das questioned the huge turnout of voters in the evening on the polling day during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. “How did 42 lakh voters manage to cast their votes between 5 pm and 9 pm in Odisha?” he asked.
The OPCC president also raised questions on the BJD not winning a single Lok Sabha seat in the state. “How is it that the BJD failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat despite securing win in 51 Assembly constituencies? The BJD won four or five assembly seats in some Lok Sabha constituencies like Kalahandi and Kendrapada, but its candidates could not become MPs. Congress managed to win 1 Lok Sabha seat with just 14 Assembly seats. All Congress candidates emerged victorious In that Lok Sabha constituency,” he said.
He further stated that the Congress won 5 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 when it managed to grab 27 Assembly seats. “The BJD should have won at least 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 elections,” he claimed.
Das also questioned role of a IAS officer in the managing the polls and the plum postings that followed thereafter. He emphasised that these anomalies raise serious concerns about transparency, fairness, and the integrity of the electoral process in the state. “The Congress will hold a press conference in every district on Monday to tell the people how the Election Commission betrayed them through vote theft and brought the BJP to power,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra, however, rejected these allegations. “The Congress is misleading the people. If they have proof and documents, they should approach the Election Commission or move the courts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress has launched a web page where people can register to demand accountability from the Election Commission of India against what it called “vote chori” and express support for its demand for digital voter rolls.
