Odisha: Over 79 lakh voters to determine fate of over 300 candidates in Phase 5

This will determine the political fate of CM Naveen Patnaik, former Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and former Indian hockey team captain Dilip Tirkey

Updated on: May 20, 2024, 05:36:27 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Over 79 lakh voters across five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 assembly constituencies of Odisha would determine the political fate of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, former Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and former Indian hockey team captain Dilip Tirkey among 305 candidates in the fifth phase of polling on Monday.

The Odisha police said 655 mobile parties will be deployed during the elections to ensure foolproof security during polling. (Representative Image)

The five Parliamentary constituencies are Kandhamal, Sundagarh, Bargarh, Bolangir and Aska. A total of 265 candidates are in fray for the 35 Assembly seats and 40 candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats.

Odisha chief electoral officer Nikunja Dhal said a total of 79.69 lakh voters, including 40.33 lakh men and 39.35 lakh women will exercise their franchise at 9,162 polling booths. Of the total booths, 20 percent are sensitive or critical polling stations, including some in the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts of the state.

More than 100 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed in the five Lok Sabha constituencies, including Aska Lok Sabha constituency, where a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was hacked to death by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rivals early this week.

This round will determine the fate of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is seeking chief ministership for a record sixth term. Like 2019, 77-year-old Patnaik is contesting from two constituencies - Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Balangir district.

Director general of police (DGP) Arun Kumar Sarangi said 655 mobile parties will be deployed during the elections to ensure foolproof security during polling. “There are 48 interstate borders with interstate border checkposts. We have formed 257 flying squad teams and 251 static surveillance teams. I request the voters to come out in large numbers,” said Sarangi.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More