Odisha witness 66% voter turnout in fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls

Odisha witnessed 66 per cent voter turnout (till 5 pm) in the fourth and final phase of its staggered Lok Sabha and assembly polls, spanning over a fortnight.

The last phase of the quinquennial exercise in the state saw people voting for six Parliamentary and 41 assembly constituencies. This included Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat which saw a tough contest with BJD mobilising optimum party resources to fight with Baijayant Panda, who recently migrated to BJP after falling out with BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

With today's voting, the simultaneous polls for 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and 147 assembly segments in the state came to a conclusion.

“Sixty six per cent polling is recorded by 5 pm. The numbers are likely to change. Polling today passed off peacefully. Disciplinary action will taken  against the erring officials”, Surendra Kumar, chief electoral officer, (Odisha) told mediapersons.

Three polling officials have been suspended for violating norms by entering voting compartments.

In the final lap of elections, Bhadrak Parliamentary constituency registered the highest voter turnout of 68 per cent as per available figures till the filing of this report. The rest five Parliamentary constituencies recorded voter turnout beyond 60 per cent- Mayurbhanj (66 per cent), Jajpur & Kendrapara (65 per cent each) and Balasore and Jagatsinghpur (64 per cent each).

The final phase will decide the outcome of 52 candidates vying for six Lok Sabha seats and 336 contestants for 41 assembly berths.

Elections were conducted successfully in all constituencies save Patkura where the polls have been deferred to May 19 after the demise of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Bed Prakash Agarwalla.