Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today moved the State Election Commission alleging participation of children in a rally of BJP’s Kendrapara MP candidate Baijayant Panda in the district.
A delegation of the regional party met the Chief Electoral Officer and filed a complaint demanding action against the concerned BJP leaders. The BJD team also presented photo and video evidence of use of children in the rally.
“It has come to our notice that in a rally conducted by BJP in Kendrapara, about fifteen/ twenty children were seen participating in the rally, which is a violation of the rights of children and the Election Commission’s guidelines. Significantly, BJP’s Kendrapara MP candidate Baijayant Panda was present in this rally along with other BJP workers. The rally was held at Tikanpur Panchayat, Garadpur Block, Kendrapara District at 4.30pm on April 14,” the BJD delegation said in the complaint.
“Involving children in election rallies, particularly when the temperature is hovering over 40 degree Celsius, is a really dangerous and inhuman approach. We urge the Election Commission of Odisha to take immediate action against the concerned BJP leaders for using children in their election campaign in Kendrapara. We hope that the Election Commission will uphold the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future,” it concluded.
