Bhubaneswar: Breaking silence on the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) defeat in the 2024 general elections, party president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday hinted at a possibility that electronic voting machines (EVMs), as is being alleged, might have played a role in the outcome.
The BJD which was looking at a sixth consecutive term to form government in Odisha failed to get even a single Lok Sabha seat. However, it retained 51 of the 147 Assembly seats. The BJD recently raised concerns over EVM reliability, with party MPs submitting a memorandum to the Election Commission demanding an investigation a few days back.
“It should definitely be checked,” Naveen said when asked about his opinion on alleged EVM irregularities. “The Election Commission needs to take this seriously. We are in favour of paper ballots. Why is the BJP so secretive about EVMs?” he added, taking a jibe at the BJP.
Naveen also launched an attack on the BJP alleging that the party misled voters with 'lies and false promises' during the campaign. “Even with their lies, the BJP could win less votes than us. Our mistake was failing to counter their negative propaganda and false narratives on social media effectively,” he admitted.
On who would take over the party mantle after him, Naveen said, “I have been leading for a very long time, but I have not thought about who will take over after me.” He supported the demand for a Bharat Ratna for his father, Biju Patnaik and said he is a truly deserving statesman. When asked about his name being suggested for the same recognition, he dismissed those as rumors.
Urging the Election Commission to prioritize voter confidence, the former Odisha CM went on to say that, “We want a system that ensures complete trust in the electoral process.”
He termed the Home Minister’s recent controversial comments on Ambedkar 'unfortunate.'
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