BJD wonders how 91 pc polling took place in 41 booths, calls Nuapada by-poll 'unfair'

Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 (PTI) Ahead of vote counting for the Nuapada Assembly by-election, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday questioned the credibility of the polling process, expressing “serious doubts” over a reported 91 per cent voter turnout in 41 booths.

The party described the entire by-poll as “unfair” and accused the ruling BJP of misusing administrative machinery.

Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, senior BJD leaders including vice-president Atanu S Nayak, general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar, and spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that the by-election was far from being free and fair.

“The ruling BJP has blatantly misused government machinery to influence the elections. While officials claim the process was fair, in reality, it was ‘free for the BJP and unfair for everyone else,’” the leaders said in a joint statement.

“The term ‘free and fair election’ has become a farce in Nuapada. Despite repeated complaints about violations of the Model Code of Conduct, no action was taken,” they added.

Nayak, a former minister, said the unusually high turnout figures warranted an independent probe.

“It’s encouraging to see large-scale participation, but 91 per cent voting in 41 booths raises serious concerns. The Election Commission of India (ECI) initially reported 75 per cent voting at 5 PM on polling day. Later, this figure was revised to 83.45 per cent, which is hard to believe. How could over 8 per cent of votes be cast after the official closing time?” he said.

He further alleged that while BJD leaders complied with ECI guidelines and left the constituency 48 hours before polling, BJP leaders continued to campaign and influence voters with administrative and police support. “Despite lodging formal complaints, no action was taken,” Nayak said.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty demanded that CCTV footage from booths recording over 90 per cent voting be made public.

“Such footage will establish whether polling was genuine or manipulated. A video showing an EVM being transported in a private vehicle is already circulating on social media. After allegations of candidate theft and vote theft, booth theft is the latest concern,” Mohanty said.

He added that out of 358 polling stations in Nuapada, around 80 to 90 booths reported over 80 per cent turnout, with some even touching 94 per cent.

Echoing the charge, Lekhashree Samantsinghar alleged that the BJP could not win a fair election and was therefore “abusing administrative powers.” “Above 90 per cent turnout in a by-election is highly unusual and raises legitimate suspicion. Government officials acted like BJP agents to secure their victory,” she claimed.

Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik called the by-election “a shameful chapter in Odisha’s electoral history,” and demanded an explanation from the ECI over the unusually high turnout.

Congress also voiced concern. Senior party leader and former minister Jaydev Jena questioned the credibility of polling in Maoist-affected Sunabeda areas. “It is hard to imagine such massive polling in Maoist and tribal-dominated zones,” he said.

Rejecting the allegations, BJP general secretary Biranchi Tripathy said the Opposition was levelling “baseless charges” out of fear of defeat.

“If rigging occurred, why did BJD polling agents not file complaints earlier? A few leaders sitting in Bhubaneswar are making wild claims without evidence,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal Gopalan dismissed the allegations and maintained that the by-election was conducted transparently and peacefully, even in sensitive regions.

Responding to a complaint from BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria about the alleged use of colour voter lists, the CEO said an immediate probe found two individuals outside a polling booth in possession of such lists, which were promptly seized. “No colour voter lists were used further,” he clarified.

Regarding alleged mismatches in polling data, the CEO termed the claims “baseless and factually incorrect.” However, he confirmed that two presiding officers had been suspended for violating voting secrecy during polling. PTI AAM AAM NN