Raipur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Chhattisgarh, to abstain Bijapur district collector from the counting duty on December three. A delegation of the BJP submitted a memorandum to CEO Reena Baba Saheb Kangale accusing Rajendra Katara, the district collector of the Maoist-hit Bijapur which went to the polls on November seven, of acting biased throughout the election process.
The BJP mentioned in the memorandum that the Bijapur collector’s role has been favouring the ruling Congress and its candidates in the district. The BJP has already lodged a complaint with the CEO, the delegation recalled during its meeting with her in Raipur on Friday.
The BJP delegation said that the party had on October six complained about the District Collector campaigning for the Congress party followed by another complaint registered against the Collector on October 27 for acting like a puppet on the instructions of the Congress candidates, a complaint registered against him on November two accusing the Collector of biased behavior with BJP and the last complaint registered against him on November ten accusing the Collector of not providing the serial numbers of the EVMs.
The district collector is also not providing the booth-wise voting details despite several reminders. In view of the suspicious role of the Collector, the BJP demands reelection for Bijapur constituency, the delegation demanded from the CEO.
The BJP had already demanded to remove the returning officer and the collector from the polling duty, but in vain, the delegation said.
The BJP further alleged that the voting was started without cancelling the mock polling in the EVMs. The BJP also alleged that the District Collector was often seen at the residence of the Congress candidate. The BJP demanded videography of the counting and immediate removal of the Collector from the counting duty.
BJP candidate from Bijapur Mahesh Gagda was present on the occasion.
