Bhubaneswar, November 13: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has alleged large-scale vote rigging during the recent bypoll for the Nuapada Assembly constituency.
BJD Vice President Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak questioned the surge in voter turnout from 75% at 5 p.m. to 83.5% later, calling the increase of more than 8% after polling hours suspicious.
He highlighted that voter turnout exceeding 91% in 41 booths suggested possible manipulation. Nayak also accused government officials of supporting the ruling BJP during the campaign.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty demanded CCTV footage from booths with over 90% turnout to verify if the votes were cast genuinely. He also pointed to videos on social media showing EVMs being transported in private vehicles, raising doubts about election transparency.
Both BJD and Congress accused BJP leaders and workers of violating the model code of conduct during the campaign and voting process.
The counting of votes is set to begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, with heightened security arrangements in place.
