AAP alleges foul play, demands re-polling in 214 north Bhubaneswar booths

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Apr 20:

The Odisha unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) through the State’s Chief Election Officer (CEO) to conduct re-polling in 214 polling booths under the Bhubaneswar north Assembly constituency while alleging that ‘a certain political party’ had resorted to unfair and illegal means to win the seat.AAP

Despite instructions by the CEO office to all participating political parties not to give chits or voter slips enumerating the number of the polling booth and voter serial number, chits mentioning a certain party’s name had been distributed in large numbers in the rural segments of Bhubaneswar North. This was to ensure more than 95% polling in pockets where that political party has a sizable vote bank, a release from the party said.

At the polling booths of urban areas of Bhubaneswar North, many voters were not provided with any chits with details about their polling booths and voter serial numbers, forcing them to go back without casting their votes, the party release said.

AAP has also sought to know the reasons for which they were not invited when decisions on re-location of polling booths were being discussed at the CEO’s office.

“There was a pre-planned and successful conspiracy by a certain political party, in connivance with the CEO officials, to win the Bhubaneswar North seat by a considerable margin,” said AAP leader Swarnalata Patnaik..

“At some rural locations under the Bhubaneswar North Assembly segment the polling booths of some villages such as Barimunda were shifted to locations far from their village at the behest of a certain political party, she further alleged.

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