Puri: The voter turnout in the ongoing bypoll to Pipili Assembly constituency touched 24.76 per cent by 11 am on Thursday.
Till reports last came in, polling in booth number 154 at Kaushalyapur, 158 at Pubar, 161 at Laxminarayanpur, 167 at Kunjar, 169 at Siula and 173 at Binayakpur were delayed due to a technical glitch in the electronic voting machine (EVM).
On the other hand, the polling, which was held up for some time at booth-203 in Nuasasan Dakhina Sahi and at booth no. 177 & 139(A) due to EVM malfunctioning, has resumed, sources said.
Meanwhile, BJD candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy had cast his vote in Pipili. The seat fell vacant after his father and sitting MLA Pradeep Maharathy‘s death on October 4, 2020, “There has been no MLA in our constituency (Pipili) since my father’s death. Everyone wants their representative,” he said.
A total of 2.30 lakh eligible voters will exercise their franchise.
In 2019 polls, Pipili turnout was 76.37 per cent.
