Final voter turnout in Patkura poll 72.75 pc

The final voter turnout in the election to Odisha's Patkura Assembly seat is 72.75 per cent, an election department official said on Sunday.

Polling in the constituency, which is part of the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat, was held on Saturday after being postponed twice in past few months.

Counting of the votes is scheduled on July 24.

As per the final calculation, 72.75 per cent of the over 2.44 lakh voters have exercised their franchise during the poll in Patkura.

An estimated 71 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm on Saturday whereas the final polling percentage has now gone up as voters were still in the queue, an official of the state CEO's office said.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's bete noire, Bijoy Mohapatra of the BJP was locked in a fight with BJD candidate Sabitri Agarwal, the widow of party leader Bed Prakash Agarwal, in the constituency.

While 10 candidates are in the fray, it is likely to be a direct contest between the BJD and the BJP. The Congress has fielded Jayanta Kumar Mohanty as its candidate.

Polling in Patkura seat was scheduled on April 29, but could not take place due to death of Bed Prakash Agarwal on April 20.

The Election Commission then fixed May 19 as the new date for the poll, but it got postponed again due to cyclone Fani hitting the state on May 3.