Baripada: With a few hours left for the re-polling in five booths of Mayurbhanj May 19, polling parties reached the booths by Saturday evening.
District Election Officer and Collector Vineet Bhardwaj, returning officer for Bangiriposi Assembly seat ADM Aboli Narwane, Returning officer for the Baripada Assembly seat sub-collector Dibyajyoti Parida handed over EVMs and VVPATs to polling parties at Debendrapur-based godown Friday.
Meanwhile, people in booth-166 in Khanua panchayat are excited after political parties have campaigned intensively since the SEC came out with notification for re-poll.
Four booths are under Baripada Assembly seat and one is under Bangiriposi Assembly seat.
About 600 voters living in Hatibandha (ward-1), Dhanashola and Nichintapur (ward-2) and Bhalujdubi (ward-3) will vote in the booth-166.
Workers of the BJD, the BJP and the Congress have been trying their level best to woo voters to support their respective candidates. Their votes could play crucial in win of the candidates.
However, agents of political parties apprehend that voting per cent will come down in the re-polling. Scores of voters had come to the village from distant places by taking leave to exercise their franchise April 29. They have gone back to their work places. Now, those who have gone back are unwilling to come for the re-polling.
BJP agent Krushna Mohan Soren said that polling per cent will fall. However, BJD agent Harimohna Kishku said that voters are excited and polling per cent may slightly fall.
BJD’s Saronjini Hembram, BJP’s Prakash Soren and Congress’s Dasrath Soren are contesting the Assembly seat.
Re-polling was necessitated due to faulty management of the polling staff, Congress candidate Dasrath Singh said, adding that action should be taken against the polling staff.
The BJP candidate alleged that the ruling party has misused their government machinery. Friday was the last day for campaign.
Meanwhile the district administration has made all arrangements for the re-polling.
Notably, four other booths such as Bhugudakata (booth-16), Purnachandrapur (booth-19), and Athapada (booth-248 under Khunta block) under Baripada Assembly seat and Kakharuashola (booth-104) under Bangiriposi Assembly seat will go to re-polling Sunday.
Voting will start from 7 am and will continue till 6 pm while all the booths will be under CCTV surveillance.
It may be noted here that elections were held to seven Assembly constituencies under Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat April 23 in the third phase. Badasahi(under Balasore parliamentary seat) was held April 29. The district had recorded 78.21 per cent polling.