Odisha records 60.07 per cent turnout in penultimate phase of LS/Assembly polls

Bhubaneswar, May 25 (IANS) Odisha recorded a 60.07 per cent voter turnout, till 7.45 p.m. in the six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 Assembly segments, which went to poll in the penultimate phase of Parliamentary and Assembly elections on Saturday.

Polling was held in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Puri parliamentary constituencies and 42 assembly segments under them.

Voters exercised their franchise at 10,515 polling booths in the six parliamentary constituencies for the third phase of polling in the state.

Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal said that the voting for the third phase of polling witnessed some skirmishes between different political groups during the polls at some places in the state. He, however, said that the commission has not yet received any demand from the political parties regarding repolling at any booth in the state.

“There have been minor skirmishes at some places and we have video footage of those incidents also. Appropriate action will be taken in all those cases,” Dhal said during a press conference here.

He also stated that as many as 201 ballot units, 214 control units and 501 VVPATs were replaced after technical glitches came to the fore during mock polls as well as the actual polling.

Prominent candidates in Saturday’s phase included Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from Sambalpur, and BJP spokesman Sambit Patra vs BJD candidate and former Mumbai Police Chief Arup Patnaik in Puri.