Odisha Panchayat Elections: Repolling Conducted Amid Heavy Deployment Of Security Forces; Know Places Of Voting

Bhubaneswar: Repolling is underway at 49 booths across 10 districts of the state, which witnessed disturbances due to various reasons during the first phase of panchayat elections. No untoward incident has been reported so far. The repolling will continue from 9 am to 3 pm.

In Puri district, the repolling is being held in in 5 places where poll related violence led to cancellation of the elections in the first phase. Those places are booth numbers 5, 7 and 8 in Badal panchayat of Kanas block, booth 8 in Alanda panchayat of Krushnaprasad block and booth 9 in Chapamanik village of Brahmagiri panchayat.

According to sources, while polling in Chapamanik was countermanded after some miscreants forcibly took away the ballot box, Alanda witnessed violent clash between two groups of villagers and polling in Badal booths was cancelled after an attack on journalists.

The repolling is being held in four booths of Chandigaon under Bhadrak block of the same district after it was complained to the State Election Commission that some miscreants had resorted to poll rigging. The repolling is conducted amid heavy deployment of police forces and installation of CCTV cameras in all booths.

As many as 24 booths in 4 blocks of Jajpur district have gone for repolling. In Sadar block, repolling is being held in 8 booths including booth number 1 in Sujunpur panchayat, booths 4, 5 and 12 in Rudrapur, booths 2 and 3 in Erabanka, booth 1 in Chhatisdebil and booth 10 in Jhalpada panchayat.

Similarly, repolling is being held in 3 booths of Dharmasala block including booth 8 of Arabal panchayat and booth 6 and 7 of Deoda. In Badachana block, repolling is being held booth 5 of Raipur panchayat, booth 10 of Balichandrapur, booth 2 of Nalipur. Dasarathpur block has repolling in 10 booths including booths 2, 3, 3, 8 and 14 in Kanikapada panchayat, booths 14 and 15 of Biripata, booths 3 and 9 of Dasarathpur and booth 7 of Akarpada panchayat.

The repolling has also been going on peacefully in booth number 8 at Mundabali in Kurli panchayat under Bisamakatak block of Ryagada district. The SEC ordered repolling here after a video of booth capturing went viral in social media. No untoward has been reported during the repolling that is being held amid deployment of SRPF and DVF forces.