Bhubaneswar: More than 60 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase polling in four parliamentary and 28 Assembly constituencies beginning 7 am Thursday.
The first phase will decide the fate of 217 candidates. There are 26 hopefuls in fray, including two women for the Lok Sabha, and 191 candidates, 16 of them women, in 28 Assembly segments.
Women voters outnumber men in these constituencies as they form 30, 30, 222 of an estimated 60, 03, 707 electorate. As many as 560 voters belong to the third gender for the first of the four-phase polls.
Tightened security
Detailing the security measures Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar said, “Preparations for polling in the first phase are in place, and necessary steps have been taken to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in 7,233 booths.”
“Elaborate arrangements have also been made to ensure smooth conduct of polls and foil any bid to disrupt the process in Maoist-affected areas,” he added.
Special arrangements have been made for the elections in 2,375 critical and sensitive booths where satellite phones have been provided at 810 booths.
Several areas in Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 Assembly segments falling under them are Naxal-hit, said an official. While polling parties have been dispatched to their respective stations, security has been tightened in Malkangiri and Koraput districts to thwart attempts by Maoists to derail the poll process.
At least two helicopters are being used to send polling officials to inaccessible and highly-sensitive polling stations in Malkangiri, Kumar added. “Extra vigil is being maintained and alert sounded in the wake of killing of five persons, including an MLA, in Dantewada in Chhattisgarh and discovery of two landmines in Gajapati district,” said DGP in-charge BK Sharma.
Around 47,805 polling personnel are being deployed to conduct the elections, the CEO said, adding women staffers have been deployed in 30 booths. Paramilitary forces, police, flying squads, static surveillance teams, poll observers, videography teams and excise sleuths will be deployed in the constituencies.
Differently-abled
In order to assist differently-abled voters, vehicles will be deployed to transport them to polling stations, while volunteers are also being engaged to help them cast their votes in the booths.
“We have decided to deploy at least two youths (less than 17 years of age) to assist divyang voters at polling booths so that they do not face any problem in casting votes,” said Kumar.
