Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has resolved to take up the issue of alleged manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with the Election Commission of India (ECI) following the results of the recently held Nuapada Assembly by-election, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victory.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC), convened on Saturday evening at Naveen Niwash under the chairmanship of BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Senior leaders deliberated extensively on the conduct of the by-election and expressed serious reservations over the manner in which the polls were carried out.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, senior BJD leader and Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said the PAC carefully reviewed the developments related to the Nuapada by-election. She stated that the party leadership unanimously agreed to lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission, seeking a thorough investigation into what it termed as large-scale interference with the electoral process.
According to Mallik, the BJD believes that the outcome of the election was influenced by systematic tampering of EVMs, allegedly carried out to divert votes in favour of the BJP candidate. She further claimed that the ruling party at the Centre resorted to a combination of unethical practices, including misuse of money power, intimidation of voters, and deployment of musclemen to impact the fairness of the poll.
“The PAC had a detailed discussion with our party president on the entire sequence of events during the Nuapada by-election. It was concluded that the integrity of the electoral process was seriously compromised. We will be submitting a comprehensive representation to the Election Commission of India, highlighting these irregularities and demanding appropriate action,” Mallik said.
She added that the BJD is committed to safeguarding democratic values and ensuring that the mandate of the people is not distorted through unfair means. The party plans to provide the ECI with all available inputs and evidence to support its claims and will seek strict scrutiny of the polling process in Nuapada.
The by-election, which drew significant political attention, was seen as an important contest for both parties. While the BJP celebrated its win, the BJD has maintained that the result does not reflect the true will of the electorate and has vowed to pursue the matter through constitutional channels.
The party leadership reiterated that raising the issue before the Election Commission is aimed at restoring public confidence in the electoral system and preventing any recurrence of such alleged practices in future elections.
