Ranchi, February 23: Following the completion of local body elections in Jharkhand, BJP state president and MP Aditya Sahu held a press conference on Monday, making serious allegations against the state’s coalition government.
He claimed that there were extensive efforts to undermine the democratic process in the elections across 48 local body areas in Jharkhand, but the public successfully thwarted these attempts.
Sahu expressed gratitude towards the state’s voters, polling staff, and the Election Commission, noting that the average voter turnout was around 50%, with final figures expected to exceed this number. He observed a clear trend favoring BJP-supported candidates, indicating their likely victories in most seats.
He accused the state government of never supporting the conduct of local body elections, asserting that these elections were a result of BJP’s movements and judicial pressure. He alleged that the ruling party intervened at various levels with the help of police administration during the elections. The BJP had previously raised concerns and submitted a written complaint to the Election Commission regarding this interference.
Sahu highlighted that over 20,000 polling staff were deprived of voting due to the lack of postal ballot arrangements. He alleged that efforts were made to lower voter turnout where BJP-supported candidates were likely to win, while attempts were made to increase turnout for a specific community. Additionally, there were complaints of mistreatment towards voters wearing saffron scarves.
He reported incidents of bogus voting and intimidation from various districts, mentioning irregularities at polling booths in places like Medininagar, Garhwa, Giridih, Jugsalai, Sahibganj, Jamshedpur, Chakradharpur, and Chakulia.
Sahu claimed that there were discrepancies in the voter list and that polling booths were relocated several kilometers away from voters’ residences. He noted a double standard in the verification of voter identification cards and mentioned an incident where a candidate had to stage a protest due to administrative pressure.
Regarding the counting process, the BJP president expressed concerns, questioning the arrangement of placing votes for mayor and ward councilors in the same ballot box, which he argued could lead to manipulation of the vote count.
He called on the state Election Commission to ensure a fair and transparent counting process, warning that if attempts were made to influence the results, the BJP would not remain silent.
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