Bhubaneswar, June 1: BJP's Salipur MLA nominee Arindam Roy on Saturday accused the ruling BJD workers of booth capturing at Malasasan village.
“I saw 8-10 youths gathered inside the booth when I came here. One of them was holding the hand of a woman and directing her to press a particular party’s button on the EVM”, said Roy to mediapersons.
They identified themselves as polling agents when I asked them. This is a clear case of booth capturing. Some BJD workers reached the spot and engaged in a brawl as I objected, he added.
Roy further claimed that he received allegations of booth capturing from at least six booths under the Salipur constituency. I will bring these incidents to the notice of the ADM and the SDPO, he added.
There was tension in the Salipur Assembly segment under the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency as some alleged BJD workers reportedly attacked BJP's polling agent, Sanjay Rout and four other party supporters with sharp-edged weapons and sticks at the booth in Malasasan village. The injured BJP workers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The BJP workers are also demanding repolling at the polling station in Malasasan village following allegations of booth capturing.
However, the Cuttack district administration rubbished the allegations of booth capturing in Salipur.
"In Booth No. 184 and 185 under the Salipur Assembly constituency, two parties clashed 150 metres away from the booths. The presence of the candidate aggravated the situation. The claims of booth capturing are completely false," the Cuttack DM said in a post on X.
