As of 3pm, Odisha has seen a 48.44% voter turnout in six Lok Sabha seats and 42 Assembly segments.

In the vibrant city of Bhubaneswar, Saturday marked an important day for the state of Odisha as it recorded a 48.44% voter turnout by 3pm in six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 Assembly segments. The voting process commenced at 7am in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Puri parliamentary constituencies, as well as 42 Assembly segments that fall under these Lok Sabha seats.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the election, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took a short walk to the Aerodrome Upper Primary School near his residence in Bhubaneswar to cast his vote. Expressing confidence in his party, he stated, "We will form a stable government in the state," to the reporters.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer NB Dhal, the voting process has been peaceful so far in the 10,581 polling stations, with only a few reports of EVM glitches. As of 3pm, 48.44% of the total 94.48 lakh electorate had exercised their right to vote. The highest voter turnout of 53.29% was recorded in the Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat, followed by Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Puri, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar.

Dhal also mentioned that 160 ballot units, 170 control units, and 390 VVPATs had to be replaced due to technical issues during the mock polls conducted before the actual voting began. Unfortunately, there were also reports of two deaths at the polling booths - an elderly woman who fell ill at a booth in Nayagarh Assembly segment and a polling agent at a booth in Hindol Assembly segment of Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat.

As the day progressed, many voters expressed frustration over the Election Commission's restrictions on carrying mobile phones to the polling booths. Some even returned home without casting their votes, claiming that they were not informed about this restriction beforehand. Responding to these concerns, Dhal clarified that people can deposit their mobile phones at the voter assistance booths outside the polling booths and collect them after voting. This information had been conveyed to all sector officers beforehand.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the elections, 35,000 security personnel, including 121 companies of central forces, were deployed in different booths. The Gajapati Maharaj of Puri, Divya Singh Deb, also exercised his right to vote in Puri. Several prominent leaders, such as BJD's Kartik Pandian, BJP's Baijayant Panda, Chief Secretary PK Jena, and DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi, also cast their votes in different booths of Bhubaneswar. The enthusiasm and participation of the people in this democratic process were evident as even the senior leaders opted for auto-rickshaws to reach their respective polling booths.

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