Bargarh: The polling for Padampur bye-elections ended peacefully without any untoward incident on Monday. The voters turnout till 6 pm was 80.5%, a figure which may differ marginally as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) announces the final numbers tomorrow.
CEO Sushil Kumar Lohani said no incident of violence has been reported and the bye-elections went off peacefully in 319 polling booths. The polling personnel after finishing the documentation, have kept EVM boxes in the strong room which is guarded by a two-layered (central paramilitary & state) security.
The EVMs will remain in the strong room amid watertight security till the counting day – December 8. Polling agents of different candidates (from different political parties) will also be allowed to stand guard outside the strong rooms in addition to the official security, said Lohani.
Out of 2.57 lakh voters, including 12 members of the transgender community, were eligible to exercise their franchise in the by-poll. Voting was partially disrupted in a few booths due to technical snag in the EVM. Voting, however, remained smooth and peaceful in all the other booths during the by-poll, said Lohani.
“We have deployed sufficient police force in the strong room. Three layers of security arrangements have been made in and around the strong room,” said Bargarh Collector Monisha Banerjee.
In the Padampur bypoll, there are total 10 candidates are in the fray while the contest between BJP’s veteran Pradip Purohit and former tribal heavyweight and deceased BJD leader Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha’s daughter Barsha. The bypoll was nessicitated by the death of Bariha on October 4.
