In a sharp critique of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the November 11 by-poll in Nuapada, the Indian National Congress on Thursday accused the state government of orchestrating large-scale voter manipulation, misusing government machinery and running deliberate misinformation campaigns to defame its leaders.
Nuapada by-election voter manipulation
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) media cell chairman Arabinda Das alleged the BJP was resorting to such tactics because it feared the imminent victory of the Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi in the bypoll. He claimed that about 5,000 new voters were added to the final electoral roll after the revisions by the chief electoral officer, asking “Where did these voters come from? Are they genuine residents or imported voters?” Drawing a parallel with the “Mahadevapura case in Karnataka”, he insisted that external voters were being added to manipulate outcomes, and demanded strict checks at railway stations to prevent bogus voting.
Rise of accusations in Nuapada by-election voter manipulation
Das also reiterated Congress’s demand for a parallel investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) monitored directly by the high court into the SI recruitment scam and the murder of Pitabasa Panda. According to him, public confidence in the Crime Branch and CBI has eroded, and only a high-court-monitored probe can restore fairness.
Campaign issues in Nuapada by-election voter manipulation
Further the Congress leader accused the BJP government of excluding female students receiving scholarships of Rs 18,000 under the Subhadra Yojana, calling it “insensitive and discriminatory”. OPCC spokesperson Hamid Hussain slammed the government for failing to appoint a permanent chairperson of the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), pointing to it as evidence of the ruling party’s neglect of the region.
Other Congress leaders present included Bibhuti Bhusan Mahapatra, Ganesh Sahu, Tuleshwar Naik and Ravi Mangaraj.
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 ahead of the November 11 by-poll in Nuapada, the Indian National Congress on Thursday){kind=link}