Congress alleges irregularities in Odisha's 2024 Assembly, LS polls

The opposition Congress in Odisha on Saturday alleged that irregularities had taken place in the state during the simultaneous elections to the assembly and Lok Sabha last year.

Addressing a press conference, state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das claimed that about 4.2 million votes were cast in the state between 5 pm and 9 pm on the day of the polling.

"How come such a huge number of voters came to the polling stations in the evening?" he questioned.

Das also raised questions on the BJD not winning a single Lok Sabha seat in the state. 

"The BJD won 51 assembly seats, but was unable to win a single Lok Sabha constituency. The BJD won four or five assembly seats in some Lok Sabha constituencies, but its candidates could not become MPs. How did it happen?" he asked.

The Congress won only one Lok Sabha seat, Koraput, as it has won six out of the seven segments that are part of it, he said.

Thanking the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, for bringing the alleged irregularities in the poll process to fore, Das said, "The Congress will hold a press conference in every district on Monday to tell the people how the Election Commission betrayed them through vote theft and brought the BJP to power."  Rejecting the allegations, senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra said, "The Congress is misleading the people. If they have proof and documents, they should move to the Election Commission or court.