December 23rd 2024.
In a recent development, the Biju Janata Dal has taken a stand against what they perceive to be "unusual" discrepancies in the 2024 Parliamentary and Assembly elections in Odisha and other poll data. A delegation of BJD leaders, accompanied by all its Rajya Sabha MPs, paid a visit to the Election Commission office in New Delhi to submit a memorandum on the matter.
When asked if the BJD, which is not part of the INDIA bloc, would align with other Opposition parties who have been raising concerns about electronic voting machines, BJD leader Sasmit Patra clarified that their complaint is not motivated by political gains. "This complaint goes beyond party politics and the usual divide between the ruling party and the Opposition," Patra said.
In their memorandum to the poll panel, the BJD has pointed out "serious discrepancies" between the information provided in Form 17-C by presiding officers and Form-20 by returning officers. The party also highlighted discrepancies in the number of votes cast in Assembly constituencies and their corresponding 21 Parliamentary constituencies. These variations ranged from 4,056 votes in Dhenkanal to 3,521 votes in Kandhamal and 2701 votes in Bolangir, as per the party's claims.
Furthermore, the BJD flagged the fact that for the first time in the history of Odisha elections, and possibly even in the country, the reported voting percentage at the close of polls on election day and the final voting percentage reported by ECI after two days showed a difference of 15% to 30%. "This is a matter of great concern for us," the BJD stated.
Former MP and BJD leader Amar Patnaik explained to the media that their memorandum aims to bring to light the discrepancies in the election process and improve transparency. "By raising these concerns with the Election Commission, we want to emphasize that the citizens of our state of Odisha have immense faith in the Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections," Patnaik said.
When asked if the BJD was placing the blame on EVMs for the discrepancies, Patnaik clarified that the differences could be due to machine error, manual error, process error, or a combination of all three. He also mentioned that the poll panel has assured them that their complaint will be thoroughly investigated and the party will be invited for further discussions.
The BJD, which was previously a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, has maintained that it will serve as a "strong and vibrant" Opposition in Parliament. The party, led by Naveen Patnaik, faced a defeat in the recent Parliamentary and Assembly polls. Meanwhile, the Congress, Shiv Sena, and NCP had raised concerns about the functioning of EVMs and alleged discrepancies in poll data after their alliance was defeated in the Maharashtra elections. However, the Election Commission had dismissed their claims.
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