Villagers Block State Highway Over panchayat election issue
Villagers Block State Highway Over panchayat election issue
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Bhadrak: Hundreds of voters mounted a roadblock on a state highway on Sunday to protest rigging in the district's panchayat election.
According to sources, some miscreants barged into booths 4 and 7 while polling was taking place in Badagal, Fatepur panchayat, Tihidi block. Despite the protests of the queued voters, they stole the ballot papers and tossed them into the ballot box after marking on a specific symbol.
Following the information, local BJP leaders and their workers rushed at the location. They informed the police when their attempts to prevent the criminals from rigging the polling failed.
Angry voters and BJP members led by the party's sarpanch candidate in the panchayat organised a rally and mounted a road blockade on the Chandbali-Bhadral state highway after the police failed to appear at the polling location despite repeated summons.
As the agitators continued their road roadblock, tensions rose in the neighbourhood, stranding vehicles in both directions of the highway.
After being notified, district SP Charan Singh Meena arrived on the scene and stopped the situation from worsening. Later, deputy collector Manoj Patra met with the demonstrators and took notice of their allegations of election tampering.
The locals abandoned their agitation after Patra promised that he would suggest repolling in the panchayat to higher authorities.
