BJD Challenges ECI, Heads to Court Over Vote Fraud

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) announced plans to file a case in the Orissa High Court over alleged "discrepancies" in the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, citing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) failure to address their concerns, party leaders said at a Monday press conference.

BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik, alongside MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo and former MP Sarmistha Sethi, revealed that the party submitted evidence of vote irregularities to the ECI eight months ago but received no satisfactory response. “The ECI has failed to clear doubts about the transparency of the election results,” Patnaik stated, emphasizing the BJD’s decision to seek judicial intervention.

Patnaik highlighted three key issues: more votes were counted than cast in EVMs across Odisha’s parliamentary constituencies; significant differences existed between total votes cast in Lok Sabha and assembly polls, despite simultaneous polling; and vote count variations of 7 to 30 percent were recorded after 5 pm on polling days, with 50 percent of assembly seats showing discrepancies of 15 to 30 percent.

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The BJD, which raised these concerns with the ECI on December 19, 2024, demanded a comprehensive audit of the election process—from voter list preparation to vote counting—and full implementation of the VVPAT system, practices common in developed nations. Patnaik noted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently echoed similar demands for transparency, but stressed that BJD flagged the issue earlier and independently of Congress’s “vote theft” allegations.

“As a responsible party, we sought clarification from the ECI, but their silence has forced us to approach the High Court,” Patnaik said. The move underscores growing concerns about electoral integrity in Odisha, with the BJD pushing for reforms to restore public trust in the democratic process.

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