Bhubaneswar: As the second phase of the three-tier Panchayat polls came to an end on Friday afternoon, incidents such as violence, violation of model code of conduct, and tension on polling booth premises were reported from at least five districts. Till 1 pm the voter turnout was nearly 65 per cent, with a number of booths reporting boycott of polls.
Here is a look at the unruly incidents which took place across the State during the second phase of the panchayat election, thereby affecting the polling process.
In Dasarathpur block of Jajpur district, elections were held for 35 Gram Panchayats and 4 Zilla Parishads, at 492 booths. However, during the afternoon, voting was suspended at two places in Kanikapada panchayat after miscreants waltzed into the booths and disrupted the proceedings.
Similarly, the voting process was affected at Duduranta and Biripata gram panchayats due to stray incidents of violence. According to reports, an explosion occurred in front of a few booths at Biripata panchayat in Jajpur. Sources said the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Dasarathpur has sought a report from the presiding officers of the affected booths on these incidents.
In the Jagatsinghpur district, miscreants looted ballot boxes from two booths on Friday. As per sources, the miscreants looted the ballot boxes from booths number 1 and 2 in Patasara gram panchayat under Sadar block of the district.
In Bargarh district, an altercation was witnessed between the voters and police while the former was waiting in a queue to cast their votes. The incident was reported from booth number 7 in Kathaumal of Gaisilet block. According to reports, the police resorted to mild baton-charge after a senior cop sustained head injuries. The exact cause behind the fist-off between the cops and public is being ascertained, said local officials.
In Ward No. 7 of Nandahandi block in Nabarangpur district, the electorate complained that the ballot papers were pre-marked. Soon after the issue was reported, the voting was halted. According to reports, a number of ballot papers were marked in favour of a particular Sarpanch candidate prior to the casting of votes.
Similarly, in Ramayapatna village of Kuturu Panchayat in Chikiti block of Ganjam district, a number of ballot papers were found to be torn and tampered with as the voters arrived at the booth. Reports stated that at least 32 ballot papers were torn in a particular booth in Ramyapatna village following which the polling process was halted.
