Odisha Elections 2024: 121 Companies Of CAPF To Be Deployed For 3rd Phase On May 25

Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India has decided to deploy 121 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the third phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha to ensure peaceful and smooth polling on May 25.

Polling will be held in six Lok Sabha constituencies of Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Sambalpur, and 42 Assembly seats under them in the third round of voting scheduled on May 25.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal told reporters that a total of 94.48 lakh voters including 48.30 lakh men, 46.18 lakh and women are eligible to exercise their franchise in the next phase. Around 21 per cent of the voters are youths.

Voting will be held in 10,551 polling stations and there will be about 200 model polling stations. Over 2,000 polling stations have been identified as critical and special security arrangements are being made to ensure peaceful polling in these places.

Altogether 1,500 polling stations will be managed by all women polling personnel and another 30 by PWD polling personnel, he said, adding that over 70,000 polling staff will be deployed for election management.

A total of 383 MLA candidates including 339 male, 44 female candidates and 64 MP aspirants including 55 male candidates, 9 female candidates are in the fray, the CEO said.