First Phase Panchayat Polls Pass Off Smoothly; 70 Percent Turnout Reported

Bhubaneswar: The first phase of the Panchayat Polls in Odisha passed off smoothly except a few minor incidents reported in some places of the state. The first phase of the three-tier Panchayat Elections were held at 22, 379 polling booths for 200 Zilla Parishad seats and 1669 Gram Panchayats in 71 Blocks of the state. About 70 percent voting was recorded today. Speaking to media, State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi has said that, there were few reports of violence in some places to which the Commission has taken serious note. He has directed the Director General of Police to ensure peaceful polling in the rest of the phases. Earlier in the day, there were some violent incidents reported from Puri and Jajpur districts which disrupted the polling process.

Briefing the media, the SEC said more than 70 percent voters cast their votes in today’s polls. He also said that, with the preliminary reports coming in, polling in three booths of Dhenkanal district, 7 in Jajpur and 5 in Puri have been affected due to disturbances. Further course of action for these booths will be taken soon after getting the reports from the district administration.