BJP stir against BJD’s ‘money power’

Bhubaneswar: BJP state president Samir Mohanty on Monday led a satyagraha in front of Bhadrak district collector’s office alleging that police were not acting against BJD workers caught red-handed while distributing money to buy votes for the Dhamnagar byelection scheduled for Thursday.
BJD countered the allegation saying the saffron party’s state unit had resorted to violence against common citizens as the party leaders are frustrated with the impending defeat in the bypoll. The police said the investigation is on into the allegation of bribing voters and another of harassing common people.
Samir said the BJP supporters had caught the husband and brother-in-law of a BJD-backed sarpanch and a BJD worker from outside Bhadrak district on Wednesday evening while they were distributing money in Aligaon village under Dhamnagar police station with police help.
Similarly, some local people had confronted BJD workers while the latter were distributing money. However, no action was taken against the perpetrators of the crime though video footage of the incident was shared with the police. “It appears that the administration is ignoring all rules to help the ruling regional party rig the polls,” he said, citing the incidents of cash distribution and intimidation by the ruling party cadres.
A BJD delegation submitted a memorandum to the office of the chief electoral officer here accusing the BJP of resorting to hooliganism. Disputing the BJP version, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said a large number of BJP workers had waylaid a resident of Bhadrak district while he was visiting a relative’s house. “The BJP workers heckled him, assaulted him and frisked him but found nothing on him. To cover up the assault, they are falsely accusing him of malpractices,” he said.
Bhadrak SP Charan Singh Meena said the police have received two complaints with allegation of bribing voters and counter-allegation of attacking people. “An investigation is on to find out the truth. The police will take appropriate action according to law,” he said.