Over 1,000 Polling Officers To Be Deployed At 253 Booths For Jharsuguda Bypoll In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: More than 1,000 polling officers will be deployed during polling in the byelection to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency in Odisha where the campaign came to an end on Monday.

Speaking to media persons on the preparation for the bypoll, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said total 253 booths have been set up for polling of votes in the constituency on Wednesday. Those include 26 pink booths which are meant exclusively for women voters, he added.

In order to ensure smooth conduct of polling, total 1,012 polling officers would be deployed with 4 of them at each polling booth. While 96 polling officials would be kept reserved, micro observers would be appointed at 69 booths, the CEO said.

The voting in all the booths will start at 7 am and end at 6 pm, while mock polling will be held 1.5 hours before the polling. Besides,  webcasting facility has been made in all the booths to ensure transparency and prevent booth capturing, he added.

Total 1,814 police personnel including 155 police officers, 17 platoons of Armed Police, 323 Havildars/Constables and 205 Home Guards and 7 companies of CAPF would be deployed to ensure law and order during the polling. CAPF personnel would also be deployed at 144 booths in the constituency, the CEO said.

The Assembly constituency has total 2,21,070 voters including 1,10,320 are men, 1,10,687 women and 63 belonging to third gender.

Meanwhile, the polling officials reached Jharsuguda Engineering School. They will proceed to their designated booths in the constituency ahead of voting.

It may be noted here that the by-election was necessitated following the murder of sitting MLA and Health Minister Naba Kishore Das on January 29. As per the Election Commission’s notification, the counting of votes will be held on May 13.

Also Read: High Blitz Campaign Ends Today For Jharsuguda Bypoll In Odisha