Nuapada/Bhubaneswar: A massive voter turnout of 75.37% was recorded till 5 p.m. during the Nuapada Assembly bypoll in Odisha on Tuesday, according to data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Polling began at 7 a.m. across 358 booths and continued until 5 p.m. However, voting in 47 polling stations located in remote and Maoist-affected areas concluded an hour earlier, at 4 p.m., to ensure the safe return of polling personnel.

A total of 2.53 lakh voters were eligible to cast their votes in the constituency.

The CEO office sources said polling has been successfully concluded in 165 polling stations.

EVM was replaced in booth no 246, the office sources added.

The bypoll saw a triangular contest between Jay Dholakia of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former minister Snehangini Chhuria representing the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and tribal leader Ghasiram Majhi from the Congress.

Also read: BJD alleges BJP breached MCC, intimidated voters in Nuapada; urges CEO action

To ensure peaceful polling, authorities implemented a multi-layered security arrangement, deploying 14 companies of central armed police forces along with state police. Special security attention was given to 47 sensitive and eight highly sensitive booths.

Polling teams stationed in Maoist-hit areas near the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary were airlifted by the Indian Air Force's eight helicopters for safety and logistical support.

Webcasting at polling booths

All 358 polling booths were under real-time surveillance via webcasting, enabling the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bhubaneswar to monitor the proceedings directly.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan informed that a Presiding Officer was suspended for a breach of voting secrecy at booth number 36 in Kuliabandh. The officer, Dhananjay Mallik, allegedly failed to prevent an attendant from pressing the button on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) on behalf of an elderly voter.

The counting of votes will be held on November 14 at the district headquarters under a three-tier security setup.