Bhubanbeswar, Feb 24: Polling began on a peaceful note for the byelection to Bijepur Assembly
seat in Odisha amid tight security at 0800 hours and will continue till 1700
hours.
Altogether 2,21,144 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in 281 polling booths to decide the fate of 13 candidates who included ruling Bjiu Janata Dal candidate Rita Sahu, BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi and Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu .
Official sources said out of 281 polling booths, as many as 155 have been declared as sensitive hs were five companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed.
This apart 36 platoons of Odisha State Armed Police(OSAP) forces, 12 squad and 40 mobile party were deployed in the constituency to maintain law and order situation and ensure a free and fair polling.
The demise of sitting Congress MLA Subal Sahu necessitated the bypoll in the Bijepur Assembly seat. Mr Sahu had consecutively won the seat thrice since 2004.
Voters were seen standing in long queues in most of the polling booths to cast their ballots.There was problem in four booths where VVPAT machines used for the first time, developed technical snag resulting in disruption of voting.
However, the technical snags were later rectified in these booths and voting continue. The counting of votes will be taken up on February 28 next.
The by-election has assumed a much political significance for all the three major political parties- the ruling BJD, the Congress and the BJP in view of the 2019 Assembly elections in the state.
The ruling BJD has put all efforts to wrest the Bijepur seat from the Congress by fielding Rita Sahu, widow of former MLA Subal Sahu while the BJP is optimistic of winning the seat in the backdrop of its performances in the last Panchayat elections in the area. The BJP had fielded Mr..Ashok Panigrahi who had won the seat earlier in 2000 Assembly election as Biju Janata dal candidate.
He was ,however, defeated in 1995 while contesting as an independent candidate and 2004 Assembly elections as BJD candidate from the constituency.
The Congress leaders are also hopeful of retaining seat considering the performances of the party in last three Assembly elections.The party has fielded Mr Pranaya Sahu who projected himself as a farmer and also belonged to Kultha caste which has a sizable voters in the constituency. UNI
Altogether 2,21,144 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in 281 polling booths to decide the fate of 13 candidates who included ruling Bjiu Janata Dal candidate Rita Sahu, BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi and Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu .
Official sources said out of 281 polling booths, as many as 155 have been declared as sensitive hs were five companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed.
This apart 36 platoons of Odisha State Armed Police(OSAP) forces, 12 squad and 40 mobile party were deployed in the constituency to maintain law and order situation and ensure a free and fair polling.
The demise of sitting Congress MLA Subal Sahu necessitated the bypoll in the Bijepur Assembly seat. Mr Sahu had consecutively won the seat thrice since 2004.
Voters were seen standing in long queues in most of the polling booths to cast their ballots.There was problem in four booths where VVPAT machines used for the first time, developed technical snag resulting in disruption of voting.
However, the technical snags were later rectified in these booths and voting continue. The counting of votes will be taken up on February 28 next.
The by-election has assumed a much political significance for all the three major political parties- the ruling BJD, the Congress and the BJP in view of the 2019 Assembly elections in the state.
The ruling BJD has put all efforts to wrest the Bijepur seat from the Congress by fielding Rita Sahu, widow of former MLA Subal Sahu while the BJP is optimistic of winning the seat in the backdrop of its performances in the last Panchayat elections in the area. The BJP had fielded Mr..Ashok Panigrahi who had won the seat earlier in 2000 Assembly election as Biju Janata dal candidate.
He was ,however, defeated in 1995 while contesting as an independent candidate and 2004 Assembly elections as BJD candidate from the constituency.
The Congress leaders are also hopeful of retaining seat considering the performances of the party in last three Assembly elections.The party has fielded Mr Pranaya Sahu who projected himself as a farmer and also belonged to Kultha caste which has a sizable voters in the constituency. UNI
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