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Polling peaceful in Bhubaneswar

- Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Figuring it out: Voters checking their names in the list before casting their vote for the civic polls at a polling booth in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

BHUBANESWAR: Voting for Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) passed off peacefully, barring a few incidents of delay in voting due to technical difficulties on electronic voting machines (EVMs) and confusion over voters’ list here on Tuesday.

Voting started from 8 a.m. in the morning and ended at 5 p.m. and during the day less than 50 per cent voters turned up to cast their votes. As many as 383 candidates were contesting for councillors’ posts in 60 wards of BMC. The counting of votes would be taken up at BJB Autonomous College here on Wednesday.

When asked State Election Commissioner Sanjeev Chandra Hota said, “since reports have not reached from all wards, I cannot say what is the percentage of voting. But it is certain that less than 50 per cent of voters cast their votes.”

In 1997, around 38 per cent of voters polled for BMC election and in the next election in 2003, the percentage of voters those exercised their franchise rose to 48 per cent.

There were 635 polling booths for 6,40,759 voters in BMC on Tuesday. In the morning, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik walked down to vote at UGME School in Aerodrome area. Mr. Patnaik exuded confidence that his party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), would do well in the ensuing election. Similarly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Biswa Bhushan Harichandan also voted in the morning. At least in five wards, EVMs showed technical snags for which voting was slightly delayed. It led to tension for a brief period in Badgada area. Similarly, in ward-16 and 19, EVMs showed invalid. Moreover, there was confusion over voters list while a few voters returned without casting their votes.

However, in polling booths closer to slum areas and semi-urban localities, people were seen in queues to vote. Leaders of different political parties were monitoring the proceedings from a little distance of polling booths.

City police had made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the voting passed off without any untoward incidents. It deployed 14 platoons of Orissa State Armed Police and 17 platoons of Rapid Action Force personnel, besides 37 mobile police party for the voting.

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