Odisha: Ganjam Villagers Hold BDO Hostage; ZP Candidates Fall At Another BDO’s Feet; Know Why

Bhubaneswar: After the incidents of poll rigging and attacks on party workers, the supporters of candidates contesting for the three-tier panchayat elections have taken up the cudgels to secure the ballot boxes in strong rooms.

In one such incident, a video of which has gone viral on social media, two BJP Zilla Parishad candidates fell at the feet of Khallikote BDO alleging that the arrangements for securing ballot boxes were insufficient.

Zone 11 ZP candidate Jagyanarayan Das and Zone 13 candidate Ramachandra Baidya appealed the BDO to tighten the security of strong rooms. They alleged that the CCTV cameras and other infrastructure in the strong room were not sufficient to keep the ballot boxes safe.

Though the BDO and local administration refuted the allegations, more CCTV cameras were installed inside the strong room as the candidates stuck to their demand.

BDO Detained

The villagers of Tumba in Ganjam district took Patrapur BDO, Prakash Das, hostage on Wednesday, three days after they failed to vote in the panchayat elections because their names were missing from the voters’ list.

Chikiti Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Krushna Chandra Bhatra said a police team is in the village to secure BDO’s release.

The elections were held on February 20, but many villagers could not vote as their names were missing from the list. Taking the opportunity of Das ‘s visit to survey some developmental works at a school near the village, the locals detained him and made him walk for nearly three km to a building where they detained him, the SDPO added.

The fifth and the final round of the Panchayat elections will be held on February 24.