Odisha’s first phase poll records 75.68% voter turnout

Bhubaneswar: Final voter turnout in the first-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha was put at 75.68 per cent by the poll authorities on Wednesday. Voting was held on Monday in four Lok Sabha seats, Berhampur, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput along with 28 Assembly constituencies under them.

The office of Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in a post on X that the final voter turnout for phase-IV Odisha, excluding votes cast through postal ballot by service voters, those cast at facilitation centers and home voting options, stands at 75.68 per cent.

Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest polling of 82.16 per cent followed by Kalahandi and Koraput at 77.90 per cent and 77.53 per cent respectively and Berhampur the lowest at 65.41 per cent.

While polling in 7,303 booths in the four Lok Sabha zones started at 7 am on Monday after some hiccups with EVMs for which some control units, ballot units and VVPATs had to be replaced, the closure time varied depending on the number of people who had lined-up to exercise their franchise till 6 pm.

The disputed Kotia panchayat, caught in a border dispute with Andhra Pradesh, witnessed a robust voter turnout of 76 per cent as people came out to vote enthusiastically, exceeding the 2019 general turnout of 74.77 per cent.

Around 62.87 voters were eligible to cast the votes in the first-round elections in South Odisha and sealed the fate of 280 candidates in the fray. Polling for the next 3 rounds will be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1.

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