The BJD on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the chief electoral officer of Odisha, accusing the BJP of deploying minors in its campaign for the November 11 Nuapada Assembly bypoll.
The complaint comes a day before chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s visit to Nuapada on Thursday. Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai is also scheduled to campaign there for BJP candidate Jay Dholakia.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said: “It has come to our notice that minor children, including girls, have been deliberately used by BJP candidate Jay Dholakia and the BJP during the election campaign. A video from Kutaban Bhera panchayat in Nuapada constituency shows a minor girl holding a BJP flag and raising slogans in favour of Dholakia and the party. Furthermore, hundreds of minors are being exploited for campaign activities at various locations across Nuapada.”
He added: “In our memorandum, we have cited the Election Commission’s order that clearly prohibits the involvement of children in any form of election campaigning. Such violations attract lawful action under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.”
