Bhubaneswar: Amid tight security, voting for election to five Lok Sabha and 35 MLA seats was started at 7 AM and recorded 6.99 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling.
Voting is underway in Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh Parliamentary constituencies along with 35 Assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats. There was no report of any untoward incident in any polling booths
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) N B Dhal Monday said that the voting was underway in all the 9,162 polling stations peacefully in five Parliamentary Constituencies and 35 assembly segments under their jurisdiction with some reports of EVM glitches.
Till 9 am around 6.99 per cent of the over 79.69 lakh voters have exercised their franchise, CEO officials said. They said EVM glitches were reported from Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency and they were addressed immediately. Voting in a booth in Birmaharajpur Assembly constituency was delayed due to problems in the EVM.
The defects in EVMs were identified during the mock poll ahead of the voting and they were replaced within 30 minutes. A woman polling official fainted in a booth under the Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat.
Around 33,000 security personnel including 102 companies of central armed police force (CAPF) and 66 platoons of Odisha police have been deployed for the second phase elections in the State.
Polling in nine districts including four Maoist-affected districts of Kandhamal, Boudh, Bolangir and Baragarh is underway. Apart from the four districts, Maoists posters were also found in Rourkela.
Voting is underway at 9,162 polling stations located at 7,339 locations, of which 556 booths have been set up in Maoist affected areas. So, adequate security arrangements have been made accordingly, DGP Arun Sarangi said.