BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Thursday said that the alleged Maoist threat to BJD leaders campaigning in Umerkote is nothing but a ploy by the ruling party to restrict the movement of the Opposition in the area during the by-poll scheduled on November 30. ‘The Maoists threatening with dire consequences to the BJD candidate and ruling party leaders campaigning for him is a Government-sponsored programme to instil fear among the rival candidates and the Opposition parties,’ BJP vice-president and spokesperson Ashok Sahu told a media conference. Alleging that the popularity of the BJP candidate Dharmu Gond has made the BJD nervous, Sahu said the appearance of Maoist posters at various places of the constituency is a well-thought out plan by the ruling party to restrict the movement of the opponents so that they can easily influence the voters under police protection. The party is trying to repeat the Kendrapara experiment in Umerkote, he said and sought to know as to why action has not been initiated against Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Sarada Nayak and BJD MLA Alekha Jena who were caught while distributing money to voters. Sahu said his party will bring this to the notice of the Election Commission and demand action against the two ruling party MLAs. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has deputed Sarada Nayak to Umerkote with the obvious intention to influence the voters through inducement, he said. The Government has not able to arrest the killers of Jagabandhua Majhi, Sahu said adding, it has not been established that the Maoists are behind the daylight murder of Majhi. The murder of the sitting MLA has created suspicion among the people about the role of the ruling party, he said. Sahu urged the Election Commission to give protection to the candidates who are fighting the by-poll. He further requested the Election Commission to probe the huge property accumulated by BJD candidate Subash Gond during the last two and a half years. Objecting to the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) brought from Malkangiri district for the Umerkote by-poll, the party has petitioned the Election Commission alleging that the EVMs under the disposal of the State Government are manipulated by the Government. The suspicion grew as a minister gave the exact margin by which his party candidate would win the election, he said.
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