EC ready for second phase polls on Thursday : CEO

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, April 14:

The Election Commission has completed preparations for the conduct of the second phase of elections in Odisha on Thursday.

The training programme for presiding officers, who would supervise the voting in the booths, has already been completed while 1.41 lakh polling personnel have been requisitioned for the conduct of the polling, said sources in the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) here today.

Necessary arrangements have also been put in place for the live web casting of the voting process in some sensitive booths. Besides, adequate numbers of security personnel have been summoned to maintain law and order in the polling stations, the sources added.

The CEO’s office has decided to set up two EVMs in the 740 booths for Morada, Rairangpur and Ekamra-Bhubaneswar constituencies considering the large number of candidates contesting in each of these constituencies. More than 16 candidates are contesting in these three constituencies.

The CEO has also banned exit polls during the elections that could influence the voters.

A total of 1.55 crore voters would exercise their franchise in 18,692 booths set up for the 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly seats going to polls on Thursday.

Spread over 13 districts, the voters would decide the fate of 98 candidates, including 11 women, in the Lok Sabha elections and 747 candidates, including 65 women,  in the Assembly elections.