70 per cent polling in 11 LS, 77 Assembly seats of Odisha

70 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise for 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats in Odisha where second and last phase of polls passed off peacefully barring some stray incidents today.
As the electoral fortunes of 845 candidates for 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats were sealed in the EVMs, a maximum of around 75 per cent voters turned out in Dhenkanal as well as Angul districts, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mona Sharma told reporters here.
The lowest voter turn-out of about 45 per cent was recorded in the Khurda district, she said.
Final phase of polling remained by and large peaceful and smooth in the constituencies spread over 13 districts in the coastal and northern parts of Odisha, Sharma said.

Barring stray incidents in places like Niali in the Cuttack district and Karanjia in the Mayurbhanj district, polling remained peaceful, Sharma said adding EVMs were damaged by miscreants in four booths in Niali.
An engineer was arrested in Niali for alleged unauthorised entry in a booth and interfering with the polling process, she said.
In Karanjia Assembly segment, voters of booth No. 137 boycotted polls over some local issues. A Tehsildar who had gone to convince the voters to exercise their franchise was detained by the people, the CEO said.
Complaints of irregularities, disturbances and rigging were received from Mahanga, Ghasipura, Dharmasala, Brahmagiri and Mahakalapada, she said.