BHUBANESWAR: First phase polling in Odisha in southern districts was largely peaceful with around 74 per cent of voters exercising their franchise. The voter turnout is likely to increase significantly when final figures are available.
Polling was held for four Lok Sabha seats, Berhampur, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput along with 28 Assembly constituencies under them. The voting process was largely peaceful barring a few minor skirmishes reported from Chikiti area, chief electoral officer Nikunja Behari Dhal told mediapersons.
While Nabarangpur recorded the highest polling of 80.22 per cent, Kalahandi and Koraput recorded 75.71 per cent and 77 per cent respectively. Berhampur recorded the lowest polling of 63.34 per cent. The CEO attributed low polling in Berhampur to the fact that people in urban areas generally do not vote as enthusiastically as rural parts.
Nabarangpur Assembly segment recorded the highest polling of 85.61 per cent followed by 85.20 per cent in Dabugam. Jharigam, Pottangi, Kotpad, Laxmipur and Umerkote also recorded more than 80 per cent voting. Berhampur Assembly segment recorded the lowest turnout of 54.14 per cent.
In 2019 elections, in the first phase, the same four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly seats had witnessed high polling of over 74 per cent. Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency had also recorded the lowest turnout of 65.89 per cent then.
Even as polling was successful in Kotia, which is caught in a border dispute with Andhra Pradesh and Swabhiman Anchal, an erstwhile Maoist hotbed, where people came out to vote enthusiastically, violence was reported from Chikiti where supporters of BJP and BJD clashed.
Violence took place when some lathi-wielding persons stopped a BJP agent from entering a polling booth. Tension prevailed at a polling booth in K Nuagaon after some agents were accused of trying to influence voters to vote for a particular political party.
In another incident, BJP candidate from Jharigam, Narasingh Bhatra was assaulted by some miscreants when he was entering a booth to verify reports of booth capturing. The incident took place in Deulakana village in the constituency and Bhatra has filed a complaint in the local police station. Bhatra told mediapersons though he cannot recognise the miscreants, they were shouting slogans of BJD.
The CEO had directed suspension of presiding officers of three polling booths in Ganjam and arrest of two of them for serious dereliction of duty in the conduct of election. “We have ordered Ganjam collector to suspend three presiding officers and also arrest two of them,” Dhal added.
He said those who committed serious dereliction of duty, are presiding officers of Chhatrapur booth no 27 and Chhatrapur polling station no 163. They will be suspended and also arrested. Earlier in the day, the CEO had ordered suspension of two polling officials, including the presiding officer of a booth.
The theme of the first phase polls was ‘Odisha votes’, the CEO said adding people of Kotia in Koraput participated enthusiastically in the process. He said 76 per cent of electors voted in nine booths of Kotia till 5 pm. The highest voter turnout of 86 per cent was registered in the polling station at Talakanti. In Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district there was heavy polling. Over 65 per cent participated in polling in the area, he added.
The CEO said initially there were some hiccups with EVMs for which some control units, ballot units and VVPATs had to be replaced. Polling was held in 7,303 booths in the four Lok Sabha zones. Dhal said polling parties have started returning. Polling parties of three inaccessible booths were airlifted.
