Odisha Election 2024 Highlights: Nearly 70 per cent voter turnout recorded in third phase of Assembly polls, Puri records 73.98 per cent

Actor Anu Choudhury casts her vote at a polling booth in Bhubaneswar in Odisha. “It is our right to vote to elect our leader. We should follow the democratic rights given to us,” she said.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik says, “I request all voters, especially the young voters, to come out and vote and express their democratic franchise. I expect the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to have a great victory both in the Assembly and in the Parliament elections. We will form a very stable government in the state again because of the blessings of people of the state and blessings of Lord Jagannath.”

Voter turnout till 9 AM stands at 7.57 per cent during the ongoing Odisha Assembly Elections 2024. This is the third phase of the state polls.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik shows his inked finger after casting his vote for the sixth phase of LS polls and third phase of Odisha Assembly elections, at a polling station in Bhubaneswar.

“Machine (EVM) is not working. Higher authorities have been contacted. It’s a long process. Mock polling will be done again before actual voting starts again. It will take time. People are disappointed a bit and returned home, they will come again, ” says Returning Officer Lopa Mudra on EVM glitch at booth number 77 in Odisha’s Puri.

Sambit Patra, the BJP candidate from Odisha’s Puri Lok Sabha constituency said, “EVMs are not functioning at several booths in Puri town. People are experiencing inconvenience; voting has yet to commence even after two hours. I have been waiting outside my booth for the past hour. There’s a growing perception that this may be state-sponsored, and I believe both the administration and the Election Commission should take note of this.”

BJD leader and 5T chairman VK Pandian casts his vote at polling booth set up at Unit 6 Boys High School in Bhubaneshwar.

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BJP candidate from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi, exercised her voting right for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 and the third phase of Odisha Assembly elections at a polling station in Bhubaneswar. The Congress has nominated Syed Yashir Nawaz, while the BJD has put forward Manmath Kumar Routray as their candidate in this election.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his aide V K Pandian led the campaign efforts for BJD candidates. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Salepur, Cuttack district, as part of the Congress party’s campaign initiatives.

Campaigning for the third phase of the Odisha elections ended at 5 on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and other senior BJP leaders, conducted extensive campaign activities. Modi hosted rallies in Angul and Cuttack, in addition to organizing roadshows in Puri and Bhubaneswar. Shah, on the other hand, led a roadshow in Cuttack, while BJP president JP Nadda held numerous meetings. BJP chief ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma, Vishnu Dev Sai, Bhajan Lal, and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb actively campaigned for party candidates.

In this phase, the fate of several prominent leaders will be decided, including Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJD organizational secretary and MLA Pranab Prakash Das, and BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra.

Four Odisha ministers, namely Prafulla Mallick, RP Swain, Ashok Panda, and Basanti Hembram, are also contesting in this phase. Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Jaynarayan Mishra, along with sitting MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab and Aparajita Sarangi, are also in the fray.

Sambit Patra, BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, offers prayers at a temple in Puri.

In order to ensure the smooth conduct of elections, five IPS officers of ASP rank have been deployed for Sambalpur, Khurda, Keonjhar, and Cuttack districts. 42 Assembly Supervising Officers, holding the rank of additional SP along with a striking force, have been assigned. 84 DSPs will oversee law and order, with two designated for each assembly segment. Moreover, 231 sector officers, holding the rank of inspector, will also be deployed on poll duty.

A total of 9,448,553 voters – 4,829,660 men, 4,617,602 women and 1,291 transgenders – are eligible to vote in 10,581 polling booths in the third phase of Odisha Assembly elections.

The third phase of voting for the Odisha Assembly Elections begins. Six parliamentary constituencies – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Puri and Sambalpur – along with 42 assembly seats coming under these Lok Sabha segments will go for polls in the third phase in Odisha and phase-six in India.

Odisha is all set for the third phase of voting on Saturday, encompassing six Lok Sabha and 42 assembly segments. The main contenders in this phase are the ruling BJD and the opposition BJP. The parliamentary constituencies to vote today are Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri.

Hello readers! Good morning and welcome to Financial Express Online live blog. Catch all latest updates and news of Phase 3 Odisha Assembly Elections today here. Happy reading and congratulations to eligible voters who will be exercising their franchise for the first time today!