Bhubaneswar: Odisha recorded 73.97 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls held on Monday in the state.
Odisha successfully concluded the first phase of polling on Monday, with voting taking place in 28 assembly seats and Lok Sabha constituencies of Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Berhampur. So far, voter turnout of 73.97 % was recorded, informed Nikunja Bihari Dhal, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Going by the data available from CEO, polling in the first phase of the General Elections recorded an approximate voter turnout of 73.97% as of 11:45 pm. While Berhampur witnessed 63.34 % voter turnout, Kalahandi saw 75.71 % voter turnout in the first phase of the elections. Similarly, 76.98 % voter turnout was recorded in Koraput and 80.22% in Nabarangpur district.
According to sources, voting began at 7 am for Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Berhampur. The fates of 37 and 243 candidates contesting from four Lok Sabha and 28 State Assembly seats, respectively, in Odisha were sealed on Monday.
It was learnt that a total of 266 candidates had filed their nominations for contesting elections in the 28 Assembly seats. Finally, 243 candidates remained in the fray. Similarly, a total of 38 candidates had filed nominations for the four Lok Sabha seats. However, one candidate was rejected and 37 candidates were left in the fray.
The Election Commission has set up 7303 polling booths across the constituencies for 62, 87,222 eligible voters including 30, 97,527 male voters and 31, 89,060 female voters.
