Bhubaneswar, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said that if election is held through ballot paper again, his party Biju Janata Dal (BJD), will support it.
The BJD supremo made the statement while interacting with mediapersons after taking part in the state level 28th BJD foundation Day ceremony held at the party headquarters here on Thursday.
Answering a query on the role of alleged EVM irregularities in the defeat of BJD in 2024 elections, Patnaik said that these allegations need to be examined carefully.
The BJD supremo also targeted the ruling BJP over the EVM discrepancies saying that why the ruling party is disturbed over the memorandum presented to Election Commission of India by the BJD seeking investigation into alleged irregularities in the EVM machine.
It is pertinent here to mention that a BJD delegation on Monday presented a formal complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging a difference in the total votes polled in a booth and the total number of votes counted from the EVM of the booth.
The BJD had also drawn the attention of the ECI towards a difference in the votes cast for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections despite the polls being held simultaneously.
Countering the allegations made by BJD supremo, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said: "The EVM is good when you are winning but the same is flawed when you face defeat. This is pointing towards a feeling of desperation."
Pradhan said the BJD is in a shock following the defeat in the elections hence it is bringing such allegations.
Meanwhile, BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal stated that they should approach the ECI if they came to know about some discrepancies in polling after six months to the elections.
He noted that a political party can present its views on EVM before the election commission which will take the appropriate decision on the issue.
On the other hand, the former CM Patnaik on Thursday also stated that the BJD is still examining the issue of One Nation One Voting. Patnaik during the interaction with the mediapersons said that he has no idea why his name was proposed for Bharat Ratna.
Notably, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Wednesday proposed Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, for both Naveen Patnaik and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Source: IANS
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