LS, Assembly poll in Odisha tomorrow

The constituencies are spread over in the western and southern areas of Odisha

Press Trust of India Bhubaneswar
Last Updated : Apr 09 2014 | 8:08 PM IST
The first of the two-phase simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly election in Odisha will be held tomorrow to elect representatives from 10 Parliamentary and 70 Assembly constituencies. The constituencies are spread over in the western and southern areas of Odisha.

There are 98 candidates, including former Congress chief ministers Giridhar Gamang and Hemanand Biswal, former Union ministers Jual Oram (BJP) and Bhakta Charan Das (Congress) in the fray from Bargarh, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Aska, Berhampur and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies.

Hockey star and former Indian team captain Dilip Tirkey is contesting the election as a BJD candidate from Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat, pitted against Hemanand Biswal of Congress and BJP's Jual Oram.

Prominent Odia cinestar Siddhant Mohapatra is a BJD candidate from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat. There are 688 aspirants for the 70 Assembly seats. Prominent among them is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who is seeking re-election from Hinjili constituency in Ganjam district.

An electorate of 1.35 lakh voters is eligible to exercise their franchise on April 10. Tight security has been arranged in several constituencies in the Maoist belt where the extremists have given a call for poll boycott. More than 50 of the 70 Assembly segments which goes to the polls tomorrow are in Maoist-affected areas.

The EC has engaged 156 companies of Central Para Military Force (CPMF) besides about 27,000 personnel of the state police to ensure free and fair elections.

In vulnerable polling stations, the police have decided to operate in cluster manner instead of dumping more forces at one place. Taking into consideration local situation, the timing of polling has been reduced by two hours in 56 Assembly segments.

While the polling time will be 7 AM to 4 PM in 56 Assembly segments, for 16 other segments it will be 7 AM to 6 PM. Polling in the remaining 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly constituencies in the state is scheduled to be held on April 17.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 09 2014 | 8:02 PM IST

Next Story