BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate, Sambit Patra has sensationally alleged that an EVM control unit from a strongroom in Puri had gone missing. He said that this was a sign that the ruling BJD in Odisha was in collusion with ‘administrative officials to murder the spirit of democracy!’
He took to Twitter to write, “I am extremely saddened by this kind of unscrupulous means adopted by BJD in collusion with administrative officials to murder the spirit of democracy! Just Imagine EVM control unit goes missing from the strong room!! EC should take note of such blatant wrongdoings.” Patra also tagged the Election Commission in his tweet.
I am extremely saddened by this kind of unscrupulous means adopted by BJD in collusion with administrative Officials to murder the spirit of democracy!
Just Imagine EVM control unit goes missing from the STRONG ROOM!!
EC should take note of such blatant wrongdoings @ECISVEEP https://t.co/QdlWnLII1z— Chowkidar Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) April 28, 2019
Patra said that he may even file a formal complaint with the Election Commission. He told a newspaper that he was exploring the possibility to lodge a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar, according to the Deccan Chronicle newspaper, admitted that a control unit from booth no 62 under Brahmagiri Assembly Constituency (AC) was ‘missing.’
Kumar said that there were lapses on the part of the official, who received the EVMs adding that the particular control unit was not kept in the specified strongroom.
“The EVMs were received and kept in strong room after the third phase polls on April 23. But the particular control unit was not kept in the specified strong room,” Kumar was quoted as saying.
Last week, Janta Ka Reporter had reported how a Samajwadi candidate from Uttar Pradesh had alleged wrongdoing after the seal on a strongroom in Sambhal was found to have been broken. The EC officials had said that they needed to break the seal to shoo away a parrot.
