In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, five Lok Sabha seats and 35 Assembly seats of Odisha will go to polls today. The arrangements of security have been made for all the polling stations, officials said.
This is the second phase of polling for the state in which over 70.69 lakh voters, including 40.33 lakh men, 39.35 lakh women and 851 transgender persons, are eligible to cast their votes. 9,162 polling stations across Lok Sabha and Assembly seats have been constituted. Of the 9,162 polling stations, 1,541 will be model polling stations, while 1,041 will be managed by all-woman personnel and 25 will be run by PwD officials. Nearly 20 per cent of the 9,162 polling stations have been identified as critical, including those in Naxalite-hit areas.
Prominet candidates in the phase
Five Lok Sabha in the fifth phase include, Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundargarh. A total of 40 candidates are in the fray for the five Lok Sabha seats while 265 nominees, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will try their luck in the 35 assembly segments.
Patnaik is contesting from two assembly seats-- Hinjili under Aska Lok Sabha seat in Ganjam district and Kantabanji under Bolangir parliamentary constituency.
Along with Patnaik, major contestants whose electoral fate would be sealed on Monday include BJP's sitting MPs Jual Oram and Sangeeta Singh Deo, around half-a-dozen Odisha ministers, BJD MP Achyut Samant and former Indian Hockey captain Dilip Tirkey.
Security beefed up considering violence
The Aska Lok Sabha seat recently witnessed the death of a BJP worker in a clash with BJD supporters. State Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal said 22 companies of central forces have been deployed in Aska. "We are committed to conducting free and fair elections in the state," Dhal said.
Voting will commence at 7 am and continue till 6 pm, but the time duration would be shorter in Naxalite-hit areas, Dhal added.
In 2019, Bargarh Lok Sabha seat had recorded 77.87 per cent turnout, followed by Sundargarh (71.67), Bolangir (74.75), Kandhamal (72.90) and Aska (65.53), he said.
For the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and actor-turned-politician Hema Malini campaigned for party candidates, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi have canvassed for their party nominees. BJD president Naveen Patnaik and his close aide V K Pandian have extensively campaigned across the five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly seats.
(With PTI Inputs)
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