Bhubaneswar, 10 August

The opposition Congress in Odisha alleged that irregularities had taken place in the state during the simultaneous elections to the assembly and Lok Sabha last year.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday evening, state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das claimed that about 42 lakh votes were cast in the state between 5pm and 9pm on the day of the polling.

"How come such a huge number of voters came to the polling stations in the evening?" he asked.

Das also raised questions on the BJD not winning a single Lok Sabha seat in Odisha.

"The BJD won 51 assembly seats, but was unable to win a single Lok Sabha constituency. The BJD won four or five assembly seats in some Lok Sabha constituencies, but its candidates could not become MPs. How did it happen?" he said.

The Congress won only one Lok Sabha seat, Koraput, as the party secured six out of the seven segments that are a part of it, he said.

"The Congress will hold a press conference in every district on Monday to tell the people how the Election Commission betrayed them through vote theft and brought the BJP to power," Das said.

Rejecting the allegations, senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra said, "The Congress is misleading the people. If they have proof and documents, they should approach the Election Commission or the competent courts."