Bhubaneswar, June 1: Odisha's electoral landscape saw significant activity as around 7.69% of eligible voters exercised their franchise by 9 am in six Lok Sabha constituencies and 42 assembly segments. This marks the culmination of the simultaneous elections in the state, with polling underway in the final phase.
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The voting process commenced at 7 am across Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur parliamentary constituencies, encompassing 42 assembly segments within their purview.
N B Dhal, Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha, said that the voting process has been conducted peacefully across the 10,882 polling booths, with sporadic incidents of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) glitches. These issues were promptly addressed, with faulty machines either rectified or replaced.
The electoral contest features 66 candidates vying for Lok Sabha seats and 394 nominees competing for assembly segments in this final phase of polling in the eastern state.
Notable contenders in this phase include prominent figures such as Odisha Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik, Government Chief Whip Prashant Kumar Mudili, and several Odisha ministers, including Sudam Marndi, Ashwini Patra, Pritiranjan Ghadai, Atanu S Nayak, Pratap Deb, and T K Behera.
Also Read: Odisha: Campaigning ends for final phase of polling on June 1
Additionally, four incumbent Members of Parliament, namely Pratap Sarangi (Balasore), Manju Lata Mandal (Bhadrak), Sarmistha Sethi (Jajpur), and Rajashree Mallick (Jagatsinghpur), are contesting to retain their seats.
