Bhubaneswar, April 10 (IANS) Polling began on a peaceful note for 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly seats in Odisha, an official said.
People stood in queues outside polling centres before polling started at 7 am.
"Everywhere balloting has started. We talked to all the district collectors and police officials and from nowhere have we got any complaints so far. It has started on a peaceful note," state's Chief Electoral Officer Mona Sharma told IANS.
Over 13 million electors will cast their ballots in the first phase of polling.
There are a total of 28,880,850 voters in the state. Polling for the remaining 11 Lok Sabha seats and 77 assembly seats would be held in the second phase April 17.
Security was tight, and paramilitary personnel and police have been deployed in vulnerable areas to ensure trouble-free polling.
Defying boycott call given by Maoists, people came to exercise their franchise in the southern districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Kandhamal.
Prominent candidates in the first phase are Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and two former chief ministers and senior Congress leaders, Giridhar Gomang and Hemananda Biswal.
State Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro, former union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jual Oram, state BJP president K.V. Singh Deo, and Congress leader Narasingh Mishra are also in the fray.
Odisha saw intense campaigning by political heavyweights, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief Rajnath Singh and prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Lucknow. Due to the global epidemic of coronavirus infection increasing six times in April in Utt
The number of passengers who traveled by the buses of Roadways Varanasi region in the last year w
Unlucky in the morning, sitting Bengal MPs finally vote in the evening
Kolkata, April 24 (IANS) They are sitting MPs and belong to the family of Congress stalwart Gha
Shahid Kapoor played cricket at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. During this, his wife Mira Kapoo
The second death from Covid-19 has been reported in Karnataka. According to a senior health depar
Former minister Partha Chatterjee, who holds the number-2 position in Mamta Banerjee's party, wil
India's fugitive Mehul Choksi, wanted in the thousands of crores PNB scam, has complained to the
The National Medical Commission may issue a notification regarding the National Exit Test. This i
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia were produced by the CBI in
The car of Taliban founder Mullah Omar has been dug out of the ground by his fighters after 21 ye