Bhubaneswar: With the completion of a crucial by-poll to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency, the fate of nine candidates including the ones from BJD, BJP and Congress have been sealed in the EVMs.
The election was completed very smoothly without reporting any untoward or law & order situation. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, Nikunja Bihari Dhal monitored the polling through out the day while tight security arrangements were put in place in all booths of the Assembly segment.
Polling for the Assembly seat was started at 7 AM and continued till 6 PM in all 253 booths in the constituency on Wednesday.
With the completion of voting, the fate of nine candidates including Naba Das’s daughter Dipali Das (BJD), Tankadhar Tripathy (BJP) and Tarun Pandey (Congress) have sealed in the EVMs.
All three principal political parties BJD, BJP and Congress have nominated fresh candidates for the by-poll. The three candidates have casted their votes in different wards of Jharsuguda municipality.
About 68.12 per cent voters turn out till 5 PM in the by-poll, Dhal told reporters. A total of 1,51,035 voters casted their votes in the by-poll till 5 p.m., of which about 74,008 are male voters, 77,020 are female and seven others, he said.
Minor clashes reported in three polling booths. However, there was no disturbance in voting, Dhal said.
Live webcasting conducted in all 253 booths. The polling was conducted smoothly in the constituency, the CEO informed.
The by-poll is necessitated following the murder of local MLA and ex-Minister Naba Kishore Das on January 29 this year. Votes will be counted on May 13.