Key Points

The delegation has reportedly apprised the Election Commission of India (ECI) of the party’s objections concerning alleged voting discrepancies during the 2024 State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. In an official statement, the Commission said that the meeting is part of ECI's continued engagement with the Presidents of various National and State Political Parties. “These interactions provide for a long-felt need for constructive discussions which enable National and State Party Presidents to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission. This initiative aligns with the Commission’s broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process within the existing legal framework, with all stakeholders,” informed the commission.

Meanwhile, the BJD alleged that the ECI is failing to be transparent and adhere to openness in the electoral process as expected of it. Following the meeting, senior BJD leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik said, "The main issue is that the Election Commission is not being as transparent and open in the political process as it should be. Its credibility is being questioned, and we are also raising concerns. The issue we raised eight months ago still has not been answered properly, which shows that the Election Commission is repeatedly trying to hide something."

He also criticised the attitude of the ECI, stating that whenever the BJD raised concerns about discrepancies during the 2024 general elections in Odisha, the Commission challenged the party to approach the court, asserting that its actions have always been entirely justified. “We told the Election Commission today that priority must be given during the electoral revision process to ensure that the names of genuine voters are not deleted from the list. At the same time, the names of ineligible or non-genuine voters should be removed. We also stated that when the SIR process is conducted in Odisha, as recently announced, if any genuine voter's name is removed in haste, as happened in Bihar, the party will strongly oppose it across the state,” Patnaik further added.

Notably, the party had earlier raised three issues before the ECI: (1) discrepancies between the number of votes cast and the votes counted in all the MP constituencies across the state during the 2024 elections; (2) inconsistencies between the total votes counted in all the Assembly segments under an MP constituency and the total votes counted for the particular MP constituency itself; and (3) higher-than-estimated voting percentage after 5 p.m. in almost all constituencies.

- IANS