25-May-2024 04:57 PM
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Bhubaneswar, May 25 (Reporter) Approximately 48.44 percent of 94.41 lakh electorate have exercised their franchise till 3 pm in the Six Lok Sabha and 42 Assembly seats, spread over 10 districts in Odisha.
ECI sources said a maximum of 53.29 percent of voters have cast their ballots in Keonjhar Lok Sabha Constituency followed by 52.77 percent in Sambalpur, 50.40 percent in Dhenkanal, 48.71 percent in Puri, 43.52 percent in Cuttack and 42.53 percent in Bhubaneswar Parliamentary Constituency.
Keonjhar Lok Sabha recorded the highest voter turnout till 1500 hours, while the voter turnout in Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha Constituency was the lowest.
The Six Lok Sabha and 42 Assembly seats will seal the electoral fortunes of 447 candidates, including 43 women candidates.
District wise Deogarh recorded the highest polling of 56 percent, followed by Keonjhar 53.61 per cent, Angul 53.13 percent, Sambalpur 52.72 percent, Mayurbhanj 51.05 percent, Puri 50.90 percent, Dhenkanal 47.89 percent Nayagarh 46.76 percent and Khurdha 43.37 percent.
Pallahara Assembly constituency recorded the highest polling of 62.13 percent and the voter turnout was the lowest in Barabati-cuttack Assembly Constituency with only 35.30 percent polling till 1500 hours.
Rengali, Satyabadi, Rairakhol,Talcher, Telkoi, Pipli, Patna, Kuchinda, Karnjia, Kamakhyanagar, Hindol, Ghasipura, Deogarha, Chhendipada, and Champua assembly Constituencies recorded above 50 percent voting.
Prominent among those whose fate will be decided today are Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP spokesperson Dr.Sambit Patra, BJP sitting MP from Bhubaneswar Aparajita Sarangi, Bhartruhari Mahtab, who had quit BJD and joined BJP and seeking re-election from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat which he had won six times in the past.
From the ruling BJD, party’s Organizational secretary Pranab Prakash Das is pitted against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in SambalpurLok Sabha seat, former Mumbai Commissioner Arup Pattnaik who is contesting Puri Lok Sabha seat and Santrupta Mishra, a debutant in the electoral politics, was pitted against six time MP Bhartruhari Mahatab in Cuttack Lok Sabha seat.
Saturday’s voting will also seal the fate of two council of ministers of Naveen Patnaik government, five former ministers, two veteran BJD leaders Prasanna Acharya and Debi Prasad Mishra, several sitting MLAs from both the BJD and BJP besides, the turncoats from all the three major political parties...////...