‘Cash for votes’: 2 arrested after BJP accuses BJD of influencing voters in Odisha

The bypoll to the Dhamnagar assembly constituency in Odisha, scheduled for November 3, was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Sethi passed away last month because of kidney failure

Published on: Oct 27, 2022, 14:48:22 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha chief electoral officer on Wednesday registered separate FIRs against two people after the Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that Biju Janata Dal leaders were alluring voters with cash a week before the Dhamnagar assembly bypolls.

For representational purposes only. (PTI File Photo)

State chief electoral officer Sushil Lohani said the accused have been arrested. “We have identified the man who was offering about ₹1 crore for votes. Complaints have been registered under sections 123 (1), 123 (2), 123 (3A) of the Representation of People Act 1951 and sections 171 (B) and 171 (E) prima facie of the Indian Penal Code,” Lohani said.

The action was taken after a BJP delegation, led by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, raised the matter with the chief election commissioner.

Pradhan and other BJP leaders in their complaint alleged that a person was promising ₹1 crore to grampanchayats who will vote in favour of BJD candidate Abanti Das.

“The allurements were made in the presence of Biju Janta Dal minister Priti Ranjan Ghadei, local zilla parishad vice-chairperson, MLA candidate Abanti Das and other party leaders. This is blatant violation under applicable electoral laws,” Pradhan alleged.

The BJP leaders also claimed that a woman named Razia Bibi, working as a community resource person and Swachha Sathi in Dhamnagar NAC (Ward No. 6), was distributing money to women in SHG groups in Ward No. 4 of Bania Sahi in Dhamnagar on behalf of the BJD.

Congress leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray too alleged that Odisha ministers “are roaming around the Dhamnagar constituency with bags full of cash”.

“A special team of the Election Commission should be formed to make sure that such violations of poll code do not happen again. If the commission does not take any action on our complaints, then our party workers will snatch away all the cash meant for distribution among voters,” Routray said.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty denied the allegations.

The bypoll to the Dhamnagar assembly constituency, scheduled for November 3, was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Sethi passed away last month because of kidney failure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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