Odisha Registers 75.68% Voter Turnout in First Phase Assembly Elections

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) N B Dhal on Wednesday said the voter turnout in the first phase of polling in four Lok Sabha seats and 28 assembly segments in the state on May 13 was 75.68 per cent. The CEO said the voter turnout may further increase after receipt of postal votes. He said the highest voter turnout of 82.16 per cent was recorded in Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency. The CEO said Nabarangpur was followed by Kalahandi (77.90 pc), Koraput (77,53 PC) and Berhampur (65.41 pc). Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.

Meanwhile, a report said the tribal tribal-dominated Nabarangpur district with four assembly segments under the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat said the district recorded an impressive voter turnout of over 84.57 per cent, surpassing its previous record of approximately 80 per cent set in 2019.

District Election Officer-cum-Collector (Nabarangpur) Kamal Lochan Mishra attributed this high voter turnout to extensive voter awareness campaigns conducted under the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) initiative.

''Several voter awareness programmes were undertaken to enhance the voting percentage in the district and it's good to notice that the district recorded nearly 85 per cent of polling,'' said Mishra.

Among the assembly segments, Nabarangpur registered the highest polling percentage at 85.61, followed by Dabugaon 85.20 per cent, Jharigaon 84.22 per cent, and Umerkote 83.05 per cent.

The Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency also witnessed a notable rise in voter participation, with 82.16 per cent turnout compared to 79.52 per cent in 2019, making it the highest among the four Lok Sabha seats that went to poll on May 13. Candidates from various political parties expressed optimism regarding the impact of the high voter turnout on their campaigns.

''The high turnout of voters speaks volumes of people's anger towards the BJD in the state and BJP in the Centre. I am confident that the people have voted for Congress,'' said Bhujabal Majhi of Congress for Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat.

Pradeep Majhi BJD candidate for the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat attributed the high voter turnout to the regional party's effective governance under the Nabarangpur Parliamentary segment.