Odisha Assembly Elections 2024: Odisha’s BJP MLA candidate Prashant Jagdev entered a polling booth and vandalized the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Not only this, the BJP MLA candidate also allegedly beat up the presiding officer when he objected to his entry into the booth. After this Prashant Jagdev fled from the spot. Voting was going on in Badakumari Panchayat of Bolagarh block of Khurda district.
It is alleged that when Jagdev entered the polling booth and vandalized the EVM machine, BJP’s MP candidate from Bhubaneswar Aparajita Sarangi was present there. Prashant was running away in a car with this MP candidate. However, later the police chased and took Prashant Jagdev into custody on charges of vandalizing the EVM machine.
What did the Chief Election Officer say?
On the other hand, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal assured to take action by filing an FIR against Jagdev. Apart from this, in another incident in the state, Chhendipada MLA Sushant Behera attacked a BJP worker at a booth in Angul district under Sambalpur parliamentary constituency.
BJD MLA attacked BJP worker
While the polling was going on, the BJD MLA was trying to persuade some voters inside booth number 84 in Similisahi of Koshla panchayat. A BJP worker named Siddarth Shankar Sahu strongly opposed such activities of the MLA. Sahu accused the MLA of being involved in booth rigging. Angered by this, Behera along with his supporters allegedly attacked the BJP workers.
Chief Electoral Officer Nikuja Dhal said that video footage of the incident involving the BJD MLA has been found. He said, “We have received the video footage and have spoken to the SP in this regard. Action will be taken after investigation”
(Input by Rajnikant Biswal)
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