Odisha's Election Controversy: Congress Alleges Irregularities in Voting

The Congress in Odisha claims electoral irregularities occurred during the last simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections. They allege suspiciously high voter turnout late in the day and have accused the Election Commission of facilitating an alleged power grab by the BJP, despite Congress's limited success in retaining some seats.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Congress party in Odisha has alleged significant irregularities during last year's simultaneous elections to the state assembly and Lok Sabha. The state Congress president, Bhakta Charan Das, claims that over 42 lakh votes were cast between 5 pm and 9 pm on election day, sparking questions about the integrity of the process.

Addressing a press conference, Das expressed skepticism about the evening surge in voting and scrutinized the BJD's failure to secure a single Lok Sabha seat, despite winning multiple assembly seats. This, according to Das, puts the election results under a magnifying glass.

However, the BJP has dismissed these allegations as baseless. Senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra challenged the Congress to present concrete evidence to the Election Commission or pursue the matter in court, rather than making public allegations.