‘Cash for votes’: 2 arrested after BJP accuses BJD of influencing voters in Odisha

The Odisha chief electoral officer on Wednesday registered separate FIRs against two people after the Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that Biju Janata Dal leaders were alluring voters with cash a week before the Dhamnagar assembly bypolls.

State chief electoral officer Sushil Lohani said the accused have been arrested. “We have identified the man who was offering about ₹1 crore for votes. Complaints have been registered under sections 123 (1), 123 (2), 123 (3A) of the Representation of People Act 1951 and sections 171 (B) and 171 (E) prima facie of the Indian Penal Code,” Lohani said.

The action was taken after a BJP delegation, led by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, raised the matter with the chief election commissioner.

Pradhan and other BJP leaders in their complaint alleged that a person was promising ₹1 crore to grampanchayats who will vote in favour of BJD candidate Abanti Das.

“The allurements were made in the presence of Biju Janta Dal minister Priti Ranjan Ghadei, local zilla parishad vice-chairperson, MLA candidate Abanti Das and other party leaders. This is blatant violation under applicable electoral laws,” Pradhan alleged.

The BJP leaders also claimed that a woman named Razia Bibi, working as a community resource person and Swachha Sathi in Dhamnagar NAC (Ward No. 6), was distributing money to women in SHG groups in Ward No. 4 of Bania Sahi in Dhamnagar on behalf of the BJD.

Congress leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray too alleged that Odisha ministers “are roaming around the Dhamnagar constituency with bags full of cash”.

“A special team of the Election Commission should be formed to make sure that such violations of poll code do not happen again. If the commission does not take any action on our complaints, then our party workers will snatch away all the cash meant for distribution among voters,” Routray said.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty denied the allegations.

The bypoll to the Dhamnagar assembly constituency, scheduled for November 3, was necessitated after sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Sethi passed away last month because of kidney failure.