Odisha: 71% voter turnout in second phase of panchayat elections

Barring few incidents, the second phase of panchayat elections was completed smoothly in Odisha with a turnout of approximately 71 per cent, an official said here on Friday.

At least 71 per cent out of 62.10 lakh voters exercised their franchise in this phase. However, the polling percentage may go up as the final report is yet to come, State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi said.

In the first phase of panchayat elections held on Wednesday, 77.2 per cent polling was recorded.

The polling began at 7 am and continued till 1 pm. However, in places where voters were seen standing in queue, they were allowed to cast their votes after the deadline.

The elections were held for the post of 168 Zilla Parishad members at 20,436 booths in 1,514 panchayats in 68 blocks across the state, he said.

In view of violent incidents reported in the first leg of polling, the poll panel had asked the DGP to ensure that the law and order situation is maintained during the second phase of polling.

"As per preliminary reports, polling was disrupted in some booths in Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur districts due to law and order problems. Re-polling is likely at two to three places where voting was affected due to errors in ballot papers," Padhi said.

After getting detailed reports from the concerned district collectors, the State Election Commission will examine them and take a decision in this regard soon, he added.

The elections were also completed peacefully in the disputed Kotia area located on Andhra-Odisha border.