Odisha records 6.99 per cent voter turnout till 9 am

Bhubaneswar: Odisha recorded around 6.99 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments on Monday, officials said.

Voting started at 7 am in Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh parliamentary constituencies along with 35 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats.

Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha.

Police said there was no report of any untoward incident in any polling booths Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal Monday said that the voting was underway in all the 9,162 polling stations across peacefully in five Parliamentary Constituencies and 35 assembly segments under their jurisdiction with some reports of EVM glitches.

Till 9 am around 6.99 per cent of the over 79.69 lakh voters have exercised their franchise, officials said.

Officials said EVM glitches were reported from Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency and they were addressed immediately.

The defects in EVMs were identified during the mock poll ahead of the voting and they were replaced within 30 minutes.

Officials said that a woman polling official fainted in a booth under the Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat.