Bhubaneswar: BJP MP candidate from Berhampur segment and senior leader Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy today appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking security assistance. He was allegedly assaulted by an independent MLA candidate during the first phase of polls in Odisha, on May 13.

Panigrahy wrote to bring the matter to the PM’s attention. He described the incident as an alarming and life-threatening situation. Allegedly, during the 2024 General Elections, he was discussing with on-duty presiding officers, police, and polling officials regarding the malpractice of EVM. He was brutally attacked by the independent MLA candidate and his ribs broke in the incident, Panigrahy’s letter stated.

The BJP MP nominee had internal bleeding in his lungs and the assault left him in AIIMS-Bhubaneswar for several days. “It is imperative to emphasise that the attack was premeditate and intentional, serving as a clear indication of the grave danger I am currently in,” the BJP MP candidate mentioned.

Panigrahy implored the PM to intervene and ensure that immediate and stringent security measures are in place to safeguard his life and the democratic principles that our nation stands for. This attack has not only caused physical harm but has also deeply disrupted the electoral process by threatening the very foundation of democratic values in the country, the Berhampur MP candidate expressed.

Worth mentioning that former Berhampur mayor Siba Shankar Das aka Pintu Das had allegedly attacked Panigrahy at a booth in Gosani Nuagaon village of Ganjam when the polling was underway.