Have clarified all queries of BJD, Cong; Odisha SIR to start next month: CEO
The CEO also said that the special intensive revision (SIR) of voters list will be conducted in the state from next month.
Addressing a media-conference here, Gopalan said the ECI has responded to all issues raised by political parties, especially the BJD and state Congress, and assured the public of a fair and transparent electoral process. 'Baseless allegations should not be made to undermine the credibility of the Election Commission or shake the public's trust in the democratic process,' he added.
The BJD had submitted memorandum to the ECI in November last year alleging that there were large-scale irregularities in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections including discrepancies in number of votes cast in the EVM and those counted. The party had also raised the differences in the number of votes in the Assembly segments and Parliamentary constituencies. The party has announced that it will move the Orissa High Court on the issue as no steps have been initiated by the poll body to satisfactorily address its concerns.
While stating that all the queries of BJD and also Congress have been responded to in detail, Gopalan said the first point raised by the BJD was about discrepancies in the number of votes in the EVM and after counting. It has been clarified earlier that in such cases counting is done taking into account the VVPAT slips. 'Some discrepancies occur due to non-deletion of mock poll data in a control unit. Counting is done through VVPAT slips in case the margin is less than the total votes polled in the EVMs,' he said.
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