Bhubaneswar: There was tension in the Salipur Assembly segment under the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha after BJP’s MLA nominee Arindam Roy accused the ruling BJD workers of booth capturing at Malasasan village.
Voting is on in six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 Assembly seats in the last phase of simultaneous polling in the state.
Speaking to media persons, Roy said, “When I came here, I was shocked to see 8-10 youths gathered inside the booth. One of them was holding the hand of a woman, directing her to press a particular party’s button on the EVM. When asked, they identified themselves as polling agents. This is a clear case of booth capturing. When I objected, some BJD workers reached the spot and engaged in a brawl.”
As per sources, some alleged BJD workers reportedly attacked BJP’s polling agent, Sanjay Rout, and four other party supporters with sharp-edged weapons and sticks at the booth in Malasasan village. The injured BJP workers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Roy further claimed that he received allegations of booth capturing from at least six booths under the Salipur Assembly segment.
The BJP candidate also said that he would bring these incidents to the notice of the ADM and the SDPO.
The BJP workers are also demanding repolling at the polling station in Malasasan village following allegations of booth capturing.
The Cuttack district administration, however, rubbished the allegations of booth capturing in Salipur.
“In Booth No. 184 and 185 under the Salipur Assembly constituency, two parties clashed 150 metres away from the booths. The presence of the candidate aggravated the situation. The claims of booth capturing are completely false,” the Cuttack DM said in a post on X.
(IANS)
