Bhubaneswar: A total of 3.35 crore voters will exercise their franchise in the elections to 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha to be held in four phases from May 13 to June 1.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, Nikunja Bihari Dhal said that the voter count of the state, which was at 3,32,36,360 at the time of release of the final electoral roll in January first week, has now increased to 3,34,73,561.
The CEO further said that the number of female voters for every 1000 male voters has increased to 974 against the previous ratio of 972 due to continuous updation of the electoral roll. Altogether 1.69 crore male and 1.65 crore female voters will cast their votes in the ensuing polls. The voter list also includes 3,438 third gender, 5.19 lakh differently-abled, 3.02 lakh senior citizens in the age group of 85 years and above and 184 from overseas.
Dhal said that the number of young electors (18-19 years) has reached close to 8 lakh, which is not only a record for Odisha but also more than the national average as they constitute 2.38 per cent of the total votes.
The voters are required to produce Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or any of 12 alternative valid documents, including Aadhaar card, PAN card, Disability Identity Card, Photo ID cards issued by the Centre/state government/public undertakings/private organisations to their employees, the passbooks with photos issued by the banks/post offices, health insurance smart card issued by the Labour Ministry, Driving Licence, Indian Passport, Smart card issued by the NPR, pension documents with photographs, ID cards issued to MPs, MLAs and MLCs and MGNREGA card, he added.