Foolproof Arrangements In Place For Pipili Bypoll In Odisha

Puri: Supervisors and polling assistants were imparted training at District Rural Development Agency conference hall here on Friday ahead of counting of votes for byelections to Pipili constituency scheduled for September 30.

Joint Chief Electoral officer Pramod Kumar Sahu conducted the training for the polling assistants on the procedure to be adopted while counting of votes scheduled for October 3. Fourteen tables will be arranged in two halls while a separate table will be allotted for counting of postal ballots amid all precautions prescribed for Covid-19. All aspects of counting of ballots was dealt with as part of the orientation for the polling assistants.

Official teams in charge of polling will leave for respective polling stations in Pipili and Delang on September 28. All polling material have been arranged at Penthakota Warehouse. Foolproog preparations have been made to safeguard electronic voting machines (EVMs) after conduct of elections on September 30.

General observer M Veerabram, Additional Collector and Returnning officer Pradip Kumar Sahu, DRDA project director Jyoti Shankar Mohapatra, Additional Collector Subashnath Sharma, Deputy Collector Sumant Kar and BDO Jitendra Kumar Patra were present among others.

The byelections to Pipili was necessitated by the death of legislator Pradeep Maharathy (BJD). The bypoll was countermanded by the death a Congress nominee subsequently.