Bhubaneswar: The BJD, Odisha’s opposition party, on Sunday condemned the results of the Nuapada by-election, where it finished third behind the BJP and Congress, alleging that the Election Commission of India (ECI) failed to prevent rigging by the ruling party. The BJP refuted these claims. The by-election was necessitated by the death of the BJD MLA. The deceased’s son, Jay Dholakia, who was expected to be the BJD candidate, instead joined the BJP, leading the BJD to field Snehangini Chhuria, the party’s women’s wing chief. “I completely reject the Nuapada by-poll results and denounce the ECI and district administration for not ensuring a fair election,” Chhuria stated at a press conference at the BJD’s State headquarters, Sankha Bhawan.
BJP candidate Jay Dholakia secured over 123,000 votes, while Chhuria garnered only 38,408 votes, placing third. Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi came in second with 40,121 votes. Chhuria alleged that the BJP manipulated the election using administrative resources and police forces. She claimed that the Nuapada District Collector and the Superintendent of Police acted as agents for the BJP and did not take steps to address the electoral fraud. Chhuria expressed that residents of Nuapada were also astonished by the election results. “Historically, the vote percentage in 41 booths has never surpassed 70 percent since Independence. However, this time, those booths reported over 90 percent turnout, which is surprising.
No one in Odisha accepts the figures released by the ECI,” she stated. Additionally, Chhuria accused the ECI of repeatedly altering the voter turnout figures. She noted that the ECI initially announced a turnout of 75 percent by 5 PM on November 14, then increased it to 77 percent at 7 PM, and later revised it to 81 percent by 10 AM the next day, eventually adjusting it to 83.45 percent by noon. “This is completely unacceptable,” she asserted. Chhuria claimed that the BJP’s victory was achieved through vote rigging facilitated by the district administration, police, and election officials.
“During the campaign, I witnessed overwhelming support for BJD and Naveen Patnaik across all 63 gram panchayats and 33 urban wards, which is not reflected in the final counts. The district administration obstructed BJD workers, and our repeated complaints to election officials went unaddressed,” she alleged. She also noted that while BJD leaders exited Nuapada during the silence period before polling, BJP leaders remained and allegedly distributed money. When a BJD worker lodged a complaint, he was reportedly detained, booked under the Arms Act, and jailed. Chhuria accused election officials of ignoring reports that BJP workers pressured voters in booths. She vowed to continue advocating for the people of Nuapada.
In response, BJP general secretary Biranchi Tripathy dismissed Chhuria’s allegations and urged the BJD to reflect on its actions rather than insult Nuapada’s electorate, which he claimed participated significantly in the by-poll. He emphasized that the election process was conducted under comprehensive CCTV surveillance, discrediting the opposition’s claims.
