Boycott In The Ballot: Over 1,000 Voters In Odisha Village Shun Lok Sabha Polls

Around 1100 villagers in Odisha have reportedly boycotted the Lok Sabha and assembly polls as their demands have not been fulfilled by the lawmakers. The polling was held on Monday.

The villagers in Balangir, which is 321 kms from Bhubaneswar, did not turn up for voting on Monday. Reportedly, they have demanded for a school and hospital in the region.

Responding to the situation, Booth 15 Presiding Officer Runu Meher said, "... We wanted to conduct the mock poll and wanted some polling agents to do the same, but we did not find any agent... We waited for our electors, but nobody has come to cast their votes yet. Till 2 pm, nobody had come to vote... we think that they boycotted their vote for some demands... Nobody has cast their vote yet."

However, the polling was peaceful for five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 assembly segments in Odisha barring some sporadic incidents. In this phase, Odisha has recorded 61.24 per cent voter turnout till 6 pm on Monday, officials said.

Bargarh witnessed the highest voter turnout among the five Lok Sabha seats, recording 67.27 per cent, followed by Sundergarh at 62.36 per cent, Bolangir at 61.35 per cent, Kandhamal at 57.46 per cent, and Aska at 57.09 per cent.

In the assembly constituencies, Bijepur in Bargarh recorded the highest polling rate at 72.40 per cent, while Surada in Ganjam had the lowest turnout at 47.80 per cent.

Both the BJD and the BJP expressed confidence in securing a significant number of seats in this phase of polling. In the 2019 elections, the BJD won two of the five Lok Sabha seats and 26 of the 35 assembly segments, while the BJP secured Bolangir, Sundergarh, and Bargarh Lok Sabha seats along with four of the 35 assembly segments.

Odisha boasts 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and 147 assembly seats. To date, polling has been completed for nine parliamentary seats and 63 assembly segments.