Campaign Ends For Balasore Sadar, Tirtol Bypolls In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With 48 hours remaining for the bypolls to the Balasore Sadar and Tirtol, the campaign in the two Assembly constituencies came to an end at 6 pm on Sunday.

Talking about the poll preparations at a press briefing earlier in the day, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sushil Kumar Lohani said as per the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), instructions have been given to the respective district administrations to ensure that political leaders not belonging to Balasore Sadar and Tirtol constituencies will not be allowed to enter the two places after 6 pm till the conclusion of the polls.

All non-voters will have to leave the area before the polling and hotels and lodgings will be checked at regular intervals.

On the conduct of polls, he said the polling parties have been sent to their respective booths while 1800 and 1900 polling officials have been pressed into duty. Apart from the polling officials, 800 ASHA workers and 800 volunteers have been engaged.

The CEO also informed that 52 cases have been registered for violation of the model code of conduct and three cases registered for ransacking the party offices.