BJD leaders have raised concerns with the Election Commission over significant vote count discrepancies in the recent elections
OdishaPlus Bureau
A group of leaders from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, highlighting discrepancies between the total votes cast at certain polling booths and the total votes recorded from the corresponding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the recent state elections.
The memorandum pointed out significant inconsistencies, citing an example from Booth No. 57 in the 84-Phulbani (ST) Assembly Constituency under the Kandhamal Parliamentary Constituency, where the discrepancy amounted to 682 votes. Additionally, Booth No. 165 and Booth No. 219 in the 08-Talsara (ST) Assembly Constituency under the Sundargarh Parliamentary Constituency showed differences of 660 and 784 votes, respectively.
The petition raised concerns regarding the validity of these discrepancies, questioning how such variations could occur, as the total votes counted by the Returning Officer should align with the report provided by the Presiding Officer. Furthermore, the BJD requested copies of Form 17 (C) for all districts but has yet to receive them.
The party also noted inconsistencies in the vote counts for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, which were conducted simultaneously, with variations reported as high as 4,056 votes in the Dhenkanal Parliamentary Constituency, 3,521 votes in the Kandhamal Parliamentary Constituency, and 2,701 votes in the Bolangir Parliamentary Constituency.
BJD highlighted a significant discrepancy between the vote percentage reported by the Election Commission at 11:45 PM on polling day and the final figures released two days later. They inquired whether voting was still ongoing at that time. Without speculating on whether the issue stemmed from the voting machines, the process, or manual errors, the party urged the Election Commission to address the matter with seriousness and to respond comprehensively to all their concerns, emphasizing the importance of transparency for the sake of democracy.
When asked if this indicated that the BJD aligned with the Opposition INDIA bloc, which has expressed concerns regarding electronic voting machines and the variance between real-time voter turnout and the final figures from the Election Commission, delegation members Amar Patnaik and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra clarified that the party had conducted an independent review of the documents. They asserted that the BJD’s memorandum was unrelated to the demands of the INDIA bloc.
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