Odisha records 66% polling in fourth phase

Bhubaneswar, April 29 (IANS) Odisha recorded 66 per cent polling by 5 p.m in the fourth and final phase for six Lok Sabha and 41 Assembly seats in the state on Monday, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar.

Barring stray incidents of violence, the polling has been smooth and peaceful across the constituencies, said the CEO.

"This is a tentative figure, which is very likely to change since the voting is still going on at several booths," said Kumar.

Polling was held in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituencies and 41 Assembly segments falling under them.

While Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest 68 per cent polling, Mayurbhanj registered 66 per cent. The voter turnout was 65 per cent in both Jajpur and Kendrapara, and Balasore and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seats recorded 64 per cent voting.

Three election officials were suspended by Jajpur Collector Ranjan Das for allegedly influencing voters.

Presiding Officer of Binjharpur booth number 191 Baikunthanath Mallick, fourth Polling Officer Janardhan Prusty at booth number 196 in Sukinda and Presiding Officer Dhirendranath Tripathy in Binjharpur's booth number 135 were suspended, the CEO said.

He said disciplinary action would be taken against them.

With the cyclonic storm Fina moving towards the east coast, he said the district administrations have been asked to ensure the security and safety of the polled Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

"Besides transparency, it is important that we take adequate measures to ensure safety and security of the polled EVMs at strongrooms," he added.

Over 95 lakh voters were eligible to cast their votes in 10,792 booths to decide the fate of 388 candidates in the fourth phase.

While 52 candidates are in the fray for the six Lok Sabha seats, 336 candidates are fighting for Assembly segments.

Out of the total voters, there were around 45.09 lakh female and 49.17 lakh male voters. Around 595 voters are from the other category.

Odisha had recorded 71.61 per cent voter turnout in third-phase elections, 72 per cent in the second phase and the first phase of polling had seen 73.76 per cent voters casting their vote.