Bhubaneswar, Aug 14 (IANS) Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das on Thursday announced the launch of a statewide Mashal Yatra to protest alleged electoral fraud in the 2024 Assembly elections.

Das stated that the protest aims to “save democracy and protect the people’s mandate” and will be carried out in all districts of the state on Thursday.

Addressing the media, Das alleged serious irregularities in the voter list and questioned the polling pattern, claiming that between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., around 42 lakh votes were cast.

He further asked why the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), despite winning 51 Assembly seats, failed to secure even a single Lok Sabha seat. Comparing the results to the 2009 elections, Das pointed out that congress had then won Lok Sabha seats in proportion to its assembly performance, whereas the BJD this time had no such proportional representation.

The Mashal Yatra, he said, will continue across Odisha as part of the Congress’ campaign to “restore the sanctity of democratic processes”.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that multiple voters were registered at the same address at a press conference and accused the BJP of “stealing votes” in connivance with the ECI.

The Congress leader claimed to have shared data supporting his charge, but the Election Commission of India (ECI) is insisting on an affidavit.

The Commission has reportedly noted that if anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written Affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as ‘Chor’ without any proof.

On August 7, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of adding fake names to voter rolls, citing examples from Karnataka, and claimed a “massive theft of votes” in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat.

The Commission has already rejected such allegations as baseless and misleading.

On the other hand, the opposition BJD has also earlier announced to move Orissa High Court over alleged voting discrepancies during the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections in the state last year.

–IANS

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