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.
CA Result 2022: CA May session exam results released, know who became the topper
CA Result 2022: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has declared the final res
Protests against Prime Minister Balen Shah’s government have intensified in Nepal. It has b
The new year 2025 has brought a new dawn of new hopes and enthusiasm. The new year was welcomed w
Mystery of the death of the girl child in Unnao, the family, police is worried
The two girls, who were found dead under suspicious circumstances in Baburaha village of Unnao di
On Monday, the government in Pakistan decided that markets and shopping malls across the country&
VK Singh: 'Wait, PoK will be found in India on its own', big statement of Union Minister VK Singh
Union Minister VK Singh addressed a press conference in Rajasthan. During this, along with target
A very scary case has come to light from Mumbai. It has been claimed in the media report that aft
England was the champion of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The cricketing world saw how the team led by
Workers living in the cities of Jharkhand will also get guaranteed employment for 100 days in a y
The country received 83,625 cases of corona in 24 hours and 80,419 people were recovered. With th
