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The final turnout in the first phase of polls for 10 Parliamentary and 70 Assembly seats in Odisha has been pegged at 75 per cent by the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO). In 2009 polls, the state had witnessed 65.3 per cent turnout in the first phase.
“As per the latest information available, voter turnout in the first phase is 75 per cent. Nabarangpur has recorded the maximum polling percentage at 82 per cent”, said Mona Sharma, CEO (Odisha).
Sharma said re-polling would be conducted in 12 booths where electronic voting machines (EVMs) were either set afire or damaged by miscreants. Also, polling would be held again in five booths where the EVMs went out of order.
The assembly constituencies where fresh polls are slated to be held include 15 at Chitrakonda (Malkangiri) and one each at Bijepur (Bargarh), Jharsuguda, Daspalla (Nayagarh), Bhanjanagar (Berhampur), Athmallick (Angul) and Kotpad and Pottangi (Koraput).
Unfazed by the boycott call of the Naxals, voters in affected districts came forward to cast their votes that contributed to a healthy turnout in these regions.
Except Malkangiri where turnout was recorded at 69 per cent, the poll percentage in other districts hit by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) crossed 70 per cent- Sundargarh (70.50 per cent), Sambalpur (74.06 per cent), Deogarh (78.08 per cent), Bolangir (73 per cent), Boudh (81 per cent), Kalahandi (74 per cent) and Rayagada (77.4 per cent).
The first phase of polls will decide the fate of 771 candidates, including 98 for Lok Sabha and 673 for Assembly constituencies.
