Odisha records 9.23 pc voter turnout till 9 am

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha recorded around 9.23 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling in four Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 Assembly segments on Monday, officials said.

Voting started at 7 am in Berhampur, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi parliamentary constituencies along with 28 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.

Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.

Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal Monday said that the voting was underway in all the 7,303 polling stations across peacefully in four Parliamentary Constituencies and 28 assembly segments under their jurisdiction with some reports of EVM glitches.

Till 9 am around 9.23 per cent of the over 62.87 lakh electors eligible voters have exercised their franchise, officials said.

He said the highest EVM glitches were reported from the Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat and they were addressed immediately.

The CEO said the defects in EVMs were identified during the mock poll ahead of the voting and they were replaced within 30 minutes.

"During mock poll, we found several EVMs with glitches and they were subsequently replaced," Dhal said.

Police said there was no report of any untoward incident in any polling booths.