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.
Manali, Kalpa in Himachal get more snow
Shimla, Feb 25 (IANS) The picturesque tourist resorts Manali and Kalpa in Himachal Pradesh Wedn
Google doodle basks in India-Australia cricket frenzy
Sydney, March 25 (IANS) Internet giant Google has once again cashed in on the World Cup fever w
OnePlus' Nord 2T smartphone can be launched in India on this day, know full details
OnePlus Nord 2T Launch Date: OnePlus has officially announced the launch of its Oneplus Nord 2T.
Man held in Gurgaon with fake Indian currency
Gurgaon, Feb 24 (IANS) The crime branch of Gurgaon police arrested a 22-year-old man with fake
IC-814 series row: Ministry tells Netflix to keep religious sentiments in mind
Introduction
There is less than a week left for the ODI World Cup to start. All the teams have come to India t
Please don't teach us patriotism, says Modi
New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Kashmiri separatist leader Masrat Alam was released without taking th
Prabhu connects Bengaluru to Vaishno Devi Shrine
Bengaluru, Jan 29 (IANS) Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Thursday flagged off a premiu
So far, India has won many medals in Paris Olympics 2024. Now the silver medal has also been adde
Kejriwal admitted to Bengaluru hospital for cough treatment
Bengaluru, March 5 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Thursday admitted to a pr
