The stage is all set for Monday for the first phase of elections in Odisha, covering four Lok Sabha and 28 assembly seats. Polling is set for Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi, and Berhampur Lok Sabha seats, along with 28 assembly segments under these constituencies.
A total of 37 MP candidates and 243 MLA candidates, including heavyweight leaders from the BJD, BJP, and Congress, are contesting in the first phase assembly elections in Odisha.
Prominent candidates in fray are: BJD’s Ramesh Majhi, Pradeep Majhi, Bhrugu Baxipatra, and Dibya Shankar Mishra, while from Congress, Saptagiri Ulaka, Sarat Pattanayak, Taraprasad Bahinipati, Bhakta Das, and Bijay Patnaik are among those vying for seats.
Key leaders from major political parties undertook extensive tours of constituencies in the southern and western parts of the state.
Leading the BJP’s campaign were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who addressed multiple rallies in the poll-bound areas.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb also canvassed for the BJP in these constituencies.
For the ruling BJD, party president and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, seeking a sixth term, along with his close aide V K Pandian, conducted extensive tours of the poll-bound areas.
However, the Congress campaign lacked momentum, with top leaders like party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra notably absent from the initial phase campaign. Rahul Gandhi cancelled his rally in tribal-dominated Rayagada district at the last moment due to other commitments. Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel campaigned for Congress candidates in Kalahandi and Koraput Lok Sabha seats instead.
To ensure transparency and prevent malpractices, the Election Commission of India has decided to conduct live webcasting in 60 per cent of the total 7,303 polling stations across all the constituencies
Over 1,264 polling stations, including all booths in Maoist-affected areas, have been identified as critical booths. The voting process will involve 53,000 polling personnel, with 715 all-women booths and 39 booths run by PwD staff among the arrangements, reports PTI.