Odisha sees significant turnout in 3rd phase poll

Bhubaneswar : Odisha recorded 59.60 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm in the six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 Assembly segments on Saturday, officials said.

Voting was held in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri parliamentary constituencies along with 42 Assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats. Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal said voting was peaceful so far in the 10,581 polling stations, barring some reports of EVM glitches.

Till 5 pm, 59.60 per cent of the over 94.48 lakh electorate exercised their franchise, officials said, adding that the highest 65.91 per cent voting was recorded in Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat followed by Keonjhar (62.43 pc), Puri (61.17 pc), Dhenkanal (60.88 pc), Cuttack (54.36 pc) and Bhubaneswar (53.54 pc).

Among the 42 Assembly segments, Pallahara Assembly seat recorded the highest 73.86 per cent voter turnout while the lowest 42.10 pc was registered at Barabati Cuttack segment by 5 pm, officials said.

Dhal said so far they have replaced 160 ballot units, 170 control units and 390 VVPATs as the EVMs malfunctioned during mock polls held before actual voting started.

Official sources said an elderly woman voter, who fell ill at a polling booth in Bhapur area of Nayagarh Assembly segment, breathed her last at a hospital, while a polling agent died at a booth under Hindol Assembly segment of Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat. In Bhubaneswar, a woman on oxygen support demonstrated her commitment by casting her vote at a polling booth. In Puri, a 97-year-old man protested against not finding his name in the voters’ list by lying down inside the polling booth. In the incident, which took place at booth No. 56 at Bholanath Bidyapeeth, the nonagenarian claimed he had voted in the last elections and alleged he was being deprived of his democratic rights.

A large number of people expressed frustration over EC’s curbs on carrying mobile phones to polling booths. Some were even seen returning to their homes without casting their votes over restrictions on using phones. They alleged that there was no prior information on such restrictions. Responding to it, Dhal, in a statement said, ‘’Since mobile phones are not allowed inside the booth, people can deposit it at the voter assistance booths set up outside the booth (managed by the BLOs) and subsequently collect it after voting. All sector officers have been informed accordingly.’’ As many as 35,000 security personnel, including 121 companies of Central forces, have been deployed in different booths.

Gajapati Maharaj of Puri (Puri’s titular king) Dibyasingha Deb cast his vote in Puri. Senior BJD leader V K Pandian also exercised his franchise by going to the polling booth in an auto-rickshaw. Chief Secretary P K Jena, DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi and many other senior leaders including BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda also cast their votes in different booths of Bhubaneswar.