Bhubaneswar: Polling for by-election to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency began at 7 am on Tuesday amid tight security measures and the voter turnout was 9.75% till 9 am.
The voting will continue till 6 pm.
Though nine candidates are in the fray, the contest is mainly between three debutants with the ruling BJD as well as the Congress and BJP having fielded first-time candidates – Deepali Das, daughter of sitting MLA and the then Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, Tarun Pandey, the son of late MLA Biren Pandey, and Tankadhar Tripathy respectively.
A total of 2.2 lakh electors are expected to cast their votes in 253 booths across the constituency to decide the fate of these candidates. Elaborate security arrangements have been made with deployment of more than 1,800 police personnel and seven companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) to ensure a free and fair poll.
In a first, webcasting has been planned in all the 253 booths. Jharsuguda SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas told the media that CCTV cameras and deployment of micro-observers and central forces have been ensured in 106 booths identified as critical, besides 30 as demanded by various political parties. Drones are also being used by the police at sensitive and cluster booths to monitor law and order situation.
Arrangements have been made for drinking water and sheds along with water sprinklers, cold drinks and fruits at the booths to help voters beat the summer heat and wheelchairs and ramps for the disabled and elderly people have been set up.
Tankadhar Tripathy, party’s former youth wing leader, was seen casting his vote this morning. Votes will be counted on May 13.
The bypoll gains significance as could be the the last election before the twins polls in 2024 and a win here could give a psychological edge to the victorious party.
The BJD has won six of the seven bypolls – Bijepur (2019), Tirtol and Balasore (November 2020), Pipili (September 2021), Brajarajnagar (June 2022) and Padampur (December 2022), while BJP managed to retain Dhamnagar in November 2022.
