Opposition BJD to move Orissa High court over alleged vote discrepancies

Bhubaneswar:  The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday announced that it would approach the Orissa High Court over alleged vote discrepancies during the 2024 general elections.

Speaking at a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJD leader Amar Patnaik stated that eight months ago, the party had submitted information to the Election Commission of India regarding the voting discrepancies observed in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha and had sought response from the central agency.

He further added that the ECI has however failed to give any satisfactory reply on the issues raised by the party so the party will move to high court on the issue.

Patnaik also said that the party had raised three issues before the ECI: (1) discrepancies between the number of votes cast and the votes counted in all the MP constituencies across the state during the 2024 elections; (2) inconsistencies between the total votes counted in all the Assembly segments under an MP constituency and the total votes counted for the particular MP constituency itself; and (3) higher-than-estimated voting percentage after 5 p.m. in almost all constituencies.

He alleged that since voting is conducted through EVM machines, even a single vote discrepancy is unlikely to occur. He alleged that the maximum discrepancy of vote percentage after 5 p.m. was found in Keonjhar assembly constituency, the constituency where Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi contested and won in 2024 elections.

The former Rajya Sabha MP stated that the party had demanded the ECI conduct a process audit of the entire election procedure — from the preparation of electoral rolls to the announcement of results — as is done in many developed countries. The party also urged the Commission to implement 100 per cent vote verification through Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), instead of limiting it to only five percent of cases. Additionally, the party sought information under Form 17C, which the Election Commission declined to provide, citing several pending court cases related to elections in 28 constituencies.

Patnaik said that if required the party will move the Supreme Court on the issue as well. Apart from Patnaik, BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo and former MP, Sarmistha Sethi also raised serious allegations on the whole election process during the press conference held here on Monday. It is pertinent here to mention that the Opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress, have recently leveled serious allegations of vote discrepancies in the last elections, seeking answers from the ECI.

–IANS