Bhubaneswar: Around 63 per cent of 62.87 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5pm in the four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly constituencies in Odisha Monday, officials said.
Voting started at 7am in 7,303 polling stations in Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies along with 28 Assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these seats.
Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.
Till 5pm, 62.96 cent voters cast their votes, officials said, adding that the highest voter turnout was recorded in tribal-dominated Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat at 67.07 per cent followed by Nabarangpur (65.07), Koraput (61.43) and Berhampur (58).
Of the eight districts where the simultaneous polls are being held, highest 68.84 per cent polling was recorded in Nabrangpur district followed by Kalahandi (67.37), Nuapada (66.35), Gajapati (63.71), Rayagada (62.96), Koraput (61.22), Malkangiri (57.68) and Ganjam (55.65).
Official said Dabugam Assembly segment in Nabarangpur district reported the highest turnout of 71.30 per cent while only 47.90 per cent of electors cast their votes in Berhampur Assembly seat in Ganjam district.
Chief Electoral Officer N K Dhal said EVM glitches were detected in several places and the machines were replaced within 30 minutes.
Dhal said there was brisk voting in Swabhiman Anchal, once a Maoist hotbed in Malkangiri district.
“People of Kotia are participating in the polls very enthusiastically,” Dhal said.
The CEO said the Election Commission received reports of poll boycott from some places over local issues.
Koraput Lok Sabha seat Congress candidate Saptagiri Ulaka, BJP candidate from Berhampur LS seat Pradeep Panigrahy, BJP’s Kalahandi LS candidate Malavika Keshari Deo, BJD Nabarangpur LS candidate Pradeep Majhi, BJP candidate Balabhadra Majhi, Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das and other senior leaders were among the early voters.
A report from Ganjam district said at least two persons were injured in a clash between rival groups during polling in Chikiti assembly segment.
Meanwhile, the EC suspended three polling officials and directed police to arrest two of them for ‘serious dereliction’ of duty.
“We have directed the Ganjam collector to suspend presiding officers of three polling booths and arrest two of them for serious dereliction of duty,” Dhal said.
PTI