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BJD, BJP demand simultaneous election to Orissa assembly

The Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded that the election to the Orissa assembly be held along with the Lok Sabha poll.

BJD political affairs committee chairman Bijaya Mahapatra said in Bhubaneswar that a state like Orissa should not be burdened with the additional cost of Rs250 million to conduct the polls separately. The assembly election is due to be held in March 2000.

He said that since the Election Commission had announced that the revision of electoral rolls would be completed by July, the state assembly should go to the polls along with the Lok Sabha.

Mahapatra also demanded that the three by-elections in the state be held after the revision of electoral rolls, if possible with the Lok Sabha election.

Biswa Busan Harichandan, BJP legislature party leader, also said it was better to have both elections together, if the Election Commission decides to conduct the Lok Sabha poll in September.

But Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang opposed this demand.

He said the Congress would complete its full five-year term and "since we have 11 months more, there is no need to hold the assembly election along with the parliamentary poll".

UNI

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