Odisha: BJD cries foul over ‘Unusual’ voter turnout in Nuapada bypoll
Bhubaneswar, Nov 13 – A stir has erupted in the state’s politics after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) claimed that the recent by‑poll in Nuapada was marred by massive vote rigging.
BJD Vice President Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told reporters that polling officials had reported a 75 % turnout by 5 pm on election day. “Later figures shot up to 83.5 %,” he said. “A jump of more than 8 % after the ballot had closed is a red flag.” He added that turnout exceeding 91 % at about 41 polling booths could not be explained by normal voting patterns.
Nayak also accused senior government officers of giving the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an unfair advantage during the campaign.
The party’s senior spokesperson, Lenin Mohanty, demanded that the Election Commission release CCTV footage from all booths that recorded over 90 % turnout. “Seeing the footage will show whether the votes were genuine or manipulated,” he said. He cited viral videos of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being moved in private cars, which raised doubts about the transparency of the process. “We’ve seen candidate theft and vote theft before, but now we’re dealing with booth theft,” Mohanty warned.
Both the BJD and Congress have slammed BJP workers for violating the model code of conduct during campaigning and on voting day in Nuapada on November 11. Opposition leaders also targeted state officials for allegedly supporting BJP candidate Jay Dholakia.
Vote counting will begin at 8 am on Friday under a three‑tier security plan. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the votes recorded by EVMs.
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