Bhubaneswar: A voter turnout of 73.50 per cent was recorded in five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly seats in Odisha where polling was held Monday, according to the Election Commission (EC), Tuesday. The second round of simultaneous elections were held in Aska, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Sundargarh and Bargarh Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments under these seats. Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest turnout at 79.78 per cent, followed by Bolangir (77.52 per cent), Kandhamal (74.13 per cent), Sundargarh (73.02 per cent) and Aska (62.67 per cent). Among Assembly seats, Bhatli in Bargarh district recorded the maximum polling at 84.11 per cent, while Hinjili in Ganjam registered the lowest at 59.05 per cent, according to EC’s voter turnout app.
The voting percentage could be a little higher after the addition of postal votes, which will be opened at the counting centre June 4, officials said. Barring some sporadic incidents, polling was peaceful for the five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments in the state, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said. Forty candidates are in fray in the five Lok Sabha constituencies, while 265 contestants, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, are trying their luck in 35 Assembly segments during the second phase of simultaneous elections.
Apart from Patnaik, the prominent candidates whose fate was sealed in the EVM include six ministers, BJP’s two sitting MP Sangeeta Singh Deo, Jual Oram, BJD MP Achyuta Samanta, former Union minister Dilip Ray and others. Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and 147 Assembly seats. Of them, polling has so far been completed for nine Parliamentary seats and 63 Assembly segments. The next two phases of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state will be held May 25 and June 1.