Polling for 5 Lok Sabha, 35 assembly seats begins in Odisha amid tight security

Polling for five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 assembly seats in Odisha began amid tight security on Monday, officials said.

Voting commenced at 7 am in Aska, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh, and Sundargarh parliamentary constituencies, along with 35 assembly segments within these Lok Sabha seats.

Approximately 79.69 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 9,162 booths located across 7,339 locations.

Polling will continue till 6 pm, with adjustments in certain remote and Maoist-affected areas where voting will conclude earlier, the officials said.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) N B Dhal assured that adequate arrangements have been made for voters' convenience.

"Over 79.69 lakh electors are eligible to vote, with 40 candidates contesting for the five Lok Sabha seats and 265 contestants vying for 35 assembly segments," he said.

Prominent leaders whose electoral fate will be decided include Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is contesting from two assembly segments (Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Bolangir district), six Odisha ministers, BJP MPs Sangeeta Singh Deo and Jual Oram, and former Indian hockey skipper Dilip Tirkey.

Dhal said around 60,000 polling personnel engaged in this phase of voting had reached their destinations by Sunday afternoon.