Bhubaneswar: Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal is on full action mode.
Known as “No Nonsense Mandarin” and he is ensuring free and fair poll as he is at the helm of election management in Odisha, the unruly officers are facing tough time.
In few hours of beginning of the first phase poll, CEO Shri Dhal has suspended five polling officials and also directed for arrest of two of them for for serious dereliction of duty.
One polling official from Narla assembly constituency in Kalahandi district and four polling officials from Ganjam district have been suspended for dereliction of duty, CEO Shri Dhal said here on Monday.
A polling official from Chikiti Assembly constituency, one from Gopalpur Assembly segment (booth No193) and two officials from Chatrapur MLA segment (Booth No 27 & 63) in Ganjam district have been suspended, of which the polling offices of Chatrapur segment will also be arrested for serious dereliction of duty.
However, the CEO did not inform about the reason why the two polling officials from Chatrapur were directed to be put behind bars.
The ACS has taken this action after seeing their misconduct in the webcasting room, sources said.
Voting started at 7 am in 7,303 polling stations in Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies along with 28 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.
Till 3 pm, 52.91cent voters have cast their votes, officials said, adding that the highest voter turnout was recorded in tribal-dominated Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat at 58 per cent followed by Nabarangpur with 55.69 per cent turnout, Koraput (53.08 per cent), and Berhampur (44.65per cent).