Bhubaneswar: As many as 94,48,553 voters are set to exercise their franchise in the third phase of the simultaneous elections in Odisha, scheduled for May 25. The voting will take place in six Lok Sabha constituencies – Sambalpur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, and Puri – and 42 Assembly Constituencies within these segments.
Briefing the media on poll preparedness, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal stated that out of the 94.48 lakh voters, 48.30 lakh are male, 46.18 lakh are female, and 1,291 are of the third gender. The elections will see 64 candidates contesting for the Lok Sabha seats and 383 candidates vying for the Assembly seats.
A total of 10,551 polling booths have been set up for this phase, with 1,500 booths managed entirely by women personnel. To ensure security and smooth conduct of the elections, 121 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed. Additionally, around 70,000 polling staff will be engaged in managing the election process, Dhal mentioned.
The CEO urged the people of Odisha to come out in large numbers to vote in the third phase of elections.
Meanwhile, the high-pitched campaign for this phase concluded this evening, setting the stage for the voters to make their choice on May 25.