Bhubaneswar: Amid tight security re-polling commenced in 34 booths across Odisha on the direction of the Election Commission of India (ECI) Sunday.
Chief Electoral Office (CEO) sources said, re-polling went on peacefully since 7 am up to 6pm. Re-polling is being held in five booths each in Mahanga and Bari Assembly constituencies, four each in Baripada and Athgarh, two each in Bhinjarpur and Jaleswar and one each in Salipur, Talcher, Ghasipura, Paradip, Sukinda, Dharmasala, Bhubaneswar Central, Brahmagiri, Satyabadi, Deogarh and Baramba Assembly segments.
The Election Commission has ordered fresh polls for simultaneous general elections to both Lok Sabha and Assembly in these 34 polling booths May 19.
Re-polling in these booths were recommended by the CEO following disturbances and technical snags in the EVM and VVPAT machines during the polling in both third and fourth phase polling in the state.
A report from Binjharpur said a mediaperson sustained critical injuries while repolling was held in booth No.135 under the close watch of security personnel at Kalyanpur Primary School in Samalpur of Kalyanpur panchayat. The repolling was necessitated due to alleged irregularities during elections in the booth April 29. The booth has 1296 voters which includes 718 males and 578 female. About 887 voters cast their votes in this booth till 6 pm.
However, the violence occurred ahead of the polling as members of a particular political party attacked the scribe Saturday night. The injured has been identified as Ranjit Das alias Bapina, a reporter of a daily stationed at Samalpur.