Odisha: CEO Seeks Report From Collector Regarding Allegations Against BJD Candidate Sushant Behera of Thrashing Voters

The Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha has requested an action taken report from the District Election Officer (DEO) and Collector of Angul within 24 hours concerning BJD Chhendipada MLA and candidate Sushant Kumar Behera. Behera is accused of assaulting voters, including BJP workers, at booth no. 84 in Simili Sahi, Kosala panchayat, Angul district, during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha and the third round of the Odisha Assembly elections on May 25th. The complaint, filed by Jayanta Kumar Jena of the BJP Legal Cell, includes video evidence of the alleged incident. The Chief Electoral Officer's office forwarded the complaint and video evidence via email, directing the DEO and Collector to investigate the allegations and submit a report within 24 hours.

In a related incident, Odisha police arrested Prashant Jagdev, the BJP MLA from the Chilika assembly constituency, on charges of toppling an electronic voting machine (EVM) and assaulting two polling personnel during the polling on Saturday. Jagdev is the BJP candidate for the Khurda Lok Sabha constituency, contesting against BJD leader Rajendra Kumar Sahu.

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Forty-two assembly constituencies in Odisha went to the polls on Saturday as part of the simultaneous state assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4. The 2024 Indian general election in Odisha is being held in four phases to elect 21 members to the 18th Lok Sabha. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats, while the BJP won 23 seats and Congress secured nine seats.