Purulia (West Bengal): Breaking the stereotypes, Odisha politicos hit the headlines when Biju Janata Dal (BJD) honchos Swayam Prakash Mohapatra and Sasmit Patra showed up at the BJD headquarters (Sankha Bhawan) for a media briefing with lungis wrapped around them.
The effort was aimed at throwing a challenge to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who jibed at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for delivering a message wearing lungi.
Coming to West Bengal's Purulia district, a presiding officer (name withheld) was seen conducting the Lok Sabha polls clad in a lungi at the Jhalda Girls High School booth in Baghmundi Assembly constituency. Albeit, for a reason.
The presiding officer said he was wearing a lungi because of come health issues when an angry BJP candidate Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato came to the booth and questioned him about the dress code.
As Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato entered the booth, the presiding officer was found hurriedly putting on his trousers above the lungi. The presiding officer's act triggered laughter among other voters and polling staff.
Mahato alleged that the presiding officer is wearing lungi in order to identify himself with the people of a particular community. He asked the officer as to why he is on poll duty in lungi. The officer told Mahato that he is physically ill and has skin problem.
"If someone has some problem, then he could have taken a leave as per the doctor's advice. But when he is handling the poll duty he has to follow certain decorum. Can a policeman come to work in shorts? It is obvious that he is influencing a certain section of the society by discharging his duties in lungi," Mahato said.
The BJP candidate also complained that a voter had come with a woman's voter card in that booth. When asked as to whose voter card he was carrying, he failed to answer, Mahato said.
Later, Trinamool Congress supporters surrounded the BJP candidate and raised 'Go back' slogans at him.
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