The Bargarh district collector in Bhubneshwar, Odisha has suspended six polling officers including three presiding officers and three sector officers for dereliction of duty and reported glitches in the EVM in the polling in the first and second phase of elections.
BJP urged the Election Commission to deploy police officials in the polling booth ensuing the elections in the state as ‘sensitive.’ The Party sought the Election commission to appoint a special observer in the booths when the state will go to poll for the third and fourth phase of elections owing to the election malpractices in the previous phases.
BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said that the Election commission should ensure free and fair conduct of elections. A special observer should be appointed and videography of the entire polling session should be done.
Odisha has had various discrepancies in these elections. The ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has instigated and executed around five political murders in the state motivated to suppress the other political party. There has been a bombardment in the party office. Candidates were subjected to physical assaults leading to grievous injuries. The Maoists affected area is the most sensitive as they have previously attacked a BJP vehicle in Chhattisgarh and in Odisha.
The suspended officials include Umashankar Panigrahy, Roshan Sethi, Prashant Sethi, Pradeep Pradhan, Umashankar Panigrahy, and Priyabrata Sahu.
Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janta Dal is the incumbent chief minister in Odisha. Odisha will go to polls for the remaining constituencies in the third and fourth phases of elections on April 23 and Aril 29. The counting of the votes will be done on May 23.
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