May 19th 2024.
The city of Bhubaneswar was bustling with excitement on Monday as the polling for five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 assembly seats in Odisha officially began. With tight security in place, the voting process kicked off at 7 am in Aska, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh, and Sundargarh parliamentary constituencies, along with 35 assembly segments within these Lok Sabha seats.
A total of 79.69 lakh voters were eligible to cast their ballots at 9,162 booths located across 7,339 locations. The voting will continue until 6 pm, with some adjustments being made in certain remote and Maoist-affected areas where the voting will conclude earlier, according to officials.
N B Dhal, the Chief Electoral Officer, assured that all necessary arrangements have been made for the convenience of the voters. "Over 79.69 lakh electors are eligible to vote, with 40 candidates contesting for the five Lok Sabha seats and 265 contestants vying for 35 assembly segments," he stated.
Some prominent leaders whose electoral fate will be decided in this phase include Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is contesting from two assembly segments, and six Odisha ministers. Additionally, BJP MPs Sangeeta Singh Deo and Jual Oram, as well as former Indian hockey skipper Dilip Tirkey, are also in the running.
Dhal also mentioned that around 60,000 polling personnel were deployed for this phase of voting and had reached their designated locations by Sunday afternoon. With such a large number of voters and candidates involved, the polling process is expected to run smoothly and efficiently under the careful supervision of the Election Commission. Let's hope for a fair and peaceful election!
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