Bhubaneswar, Could 25 (PTI) A sitting MLA and BJP candidate allegedly broke an EVM and attacked a polling officer inside a sales space throughout voting in Odisha which recorded a voter turnout of over 60.97 per cent in six Lok Sabha seats and 42 meeting segments, officers mentioned.
Two individuals – a lady polling officer and a polling agent – died throughout voting in several cubicles in Barabati-Cuttack and Hindol meeting segments. An aged lady voter who fell ailing inside a polling sales space in Nayagarh meeting seat died in a hospital, officers mentioned.
BJP’s Khurda meeting phase candidate Prasant Jagdev, who’s the sitting MLA of Chilika, was detained for allegedly barging into the sales space alongside together with his followers, breaking an EVM and assaulting a polling officer injuring him severely.
Officers mentioned the incident adopted an altercation inside a sales space in Begunia meeting phase, the place he had gone to solid his vote.
Jagdev, who joined BJP after being expelled from BJD, later staged a dharna in a police station towards his “unlawful detention”.
The ruling BJD additionally lodged a grievance towards the BJP nominee with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) NB Dhal. “We preserve zero tolerance to violence. Acceptable motion might be taken primarily based on the CCTV footage,” Dhal mentioned.
The BJP additionally demanded the arrest of BJD’s Chhendipada MLA Sushant Behera accusing him of attacking saffron get together employees throughout voting.
The CEO’s workplace additionally obtained reviews of a number of different minor incidents of unrest from Brahmagiri, Athagarh and another locations, officers mentioned.
Voting was held in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri parliamentary constituencies together with 42 meeting segments throughout the jurisdiction of those Lok Sabha seats.
There have been 64 candidates within the fray for the six Lok Sabha seats whereas the variety of nominees for 42 meeting segments was 383.
The distinguished candidates whose fates have been sealed within the EVM included Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP’s Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and the get together’s nationwide spokesperson Sambit Patra.
4 Odisha ministers – RP Swain, Prafulla Mallick, Basanti Hembram and Ashok Panda – are additionally within the fray.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik walked all alongside to the Aerodrome Higher Major College close to his residence right here to solid his vote. “We’ll type a secure authorities within the state,” he instructed reporters.
Round 60.97 per cent of the over 94.48 lakh citizens exercised their franchise, officers mentioned including that the determine might rise.
In Bhubaneswar, a lady on oxygen help demonstrated her dedication by casting her vote at a polling sales space whereas in Puri, a 97-year-old man protested after not discovering his identify within the voters’ record by mendacity down inside a sales space.
A lot of folks expressed frustration over EC’s curbs on carrying cell phones to polling cubicles. Some even returned house with out casting their votes over restrictions on utilizing telephones.
Responding to it, Dhal in a press release mentioned, “Since cell phones are usually not allowed contained in the sales space, folks can deposit it at a chosen spot up exterior cubicles and acquire it after voting.” As many as 35,000 safety personnel together with 121 corporations of central forces have been deployed in several cubicles.
Chief Secretary P Ok Jena, DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi and lots of different senior leaders together with BJP nationwide vice-president Baijayant Panda additionally solid their votes in several cubicles of Bhubaneswar.
(This report has been revealed as a part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Aside from the headline, no enhancing has been executed within the copy by ABP Dwell.)