Mumbai: According to media report 41 per cent turned out in Odisha till 1 pm where polling is being held in four Lok Sabha seats and 28 assembly constituencies.
PTI quoted Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar saying, “As per reports received from the constituencies, approximately 41 per cent of the electorate have cast their vote till 1 pm.”
The CEO said that technical boots were seen in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in many booths, but regional officials changed faulty machines within 30 to 40 minutes.
He said that despite the delay in starting polling in these booths, the process started after corrective measures were taken by the concerned authorities.
On being questioned about voters who boycotted the election in Kampot in Koraput district, the CEO said that he is trying to convince them to use their democratic rights.
Long queues were seen at polling booths in Koraput, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Berhampur Lok Sabha constituencies and in 28 assembly constituencies in the morning.
Among the voters, the former Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu, who is a BJD candidate from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, and BJP Odisha unit President Basant Panda is also in the fray from Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat.
Congress leader and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das and Pushpendra Singh Deed of BJD, who is hoisting swords on the Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat, also voted.
Lok Sabha and assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases.
There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats in the state.
(With PTI Inputs)
