BHUBANESWAR: The first phase of the three-tier Panchayat elections in Odisha concluded with a voter turnout of around 60 per cent till 1 pm on Wednesday.
Polling in the Phase-I election for 200 Zilla Parishad (ZP) zones, 1,669 panchayats and 22,379 wards in 71 blocks across the state began at 7 am.
The polling percentage picked slowly during noon as the voter turnout remained around 30 per cent till 11 am.
Voters were seen swarming booths and standing in long queues to exercise their franchise.
Baring complaints regarding stray incidents of violence, the elections have remained peaceful and voting is continuing in a free and fair manner, officials of the State Election Commission (SEC) said.
Officials said around 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the polling hours of 7 am to 1 pm. “It, however, could increase as those who were already in the queue inside the polling stations by the end of the scheduled polling hours have been allowed to cast vote through tokens by the presiding officers,” said an official from the election commission.
The SEC officials said despite the Covid pandemic, the voter turnout in the first phase has been encouraging.
The Commission had deployed around 37,245 police personnel to maintain law and order during the rural polls in sensitive booths.
However, sporadic violence and poll boycott in the first phase marred the panchayat elections partially in parts of Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and a few other districts.
The polling process was disrupted at a booth in Kashijharia village of Chapamanik Gram Panchayat (GP) in Puri where miscreants allegedly snatched ballot boxes and fled the spot after throwing them outside the polling station.
In Jajpur, the polling process was allegedly disrupted for a brief period at booths in Erabanka panchayat and Sujanpur panchayat due to group clashes.
Voters in some of the villages in Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj and the Kantamal area of Boudh district were seen boycotting the polls over delay in fulfillment of their grievances.
Besides, SEC officials said elections to one ZP post, six Sarpanch posts, three panchayat Samiti member posts, 13 ward members were countermanded in the first phase due to the death of the contesting candidates.
The rural polls to be held in five phases will continue till February 24.