In Odisha, more than 1.55 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise tomorrow in the second and last phase of polls in 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly constituencies.
A total of 18,692 booths have been set up for the purpose and about 1.41 lakh polling personnel have been deployed. Our correspondent reports that the fate of 98 candidates, including 11 women, in the Lok Sabha elections and 747 candidates, including 65 women, in the Assembly polls will be decided tomorrow in Odisha in the second and last phase of elections tomorrow.
All arrangements have been made for web casting of the voting process in 329 vulnerable booths of the total 18,692 polling booths. Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha, Dr Mona Sharma, has asserted that there was no Maoist threat in the election, though pockets of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts had the presence of certain Left wing extremists.
Altogether 406 companies of security personnel have been deployed for poll duty with the district magistrates instructed to remain extra vigilant for the next 36 hours. Meanwhile, polling parties have left with electronic voting machines and other necessary election materials to the polling booths.
Union minister Srikant Jena of Congress and former Union minister Arjun Sethi of the BJD, are the prominent figures who are contesting in this phase of Lok Sabha elections. A host of MPs including Tathagat Satpathy, Baijayant Panda, Pinaki Mishra, Bhatruhari Mahtab of ruling BJD are also seeking re-election to Lok Sabha. Among 747 candidates in the Assembly election, a host of high-profile leaders and ministers in the Naven Patnaik government are trying their
Repolling would also be held tomorrow in 22 booths spread over eight Assembly segments in Odisha where polling was stalled due to various reasons, including snatching of EVMs, during the first phase of voting on April 10. These include 15 booths under Chitrakonda Assembly segment in Maoist-hit Malkangiri district. Voting will take place between 7 AM and 3 PM in places where repolling will be held tomorrow.
