Bhubaneswar: With the electoral battleground heating up, the deadline for filing nomination papers for the first phase of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha ends today. Candidates contesting from four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly constituencies, slated for polling on May 13, have until Thursday evening to submit their nomination papers.
The nomination process for the first phase election commenced on April 18.
The four Lok Sabha constituencies scheduled for polling on May 13 are Kalahandi, Berhampur, Koraput, and Nabarangpur. Additionally, voters from 28 Assembly constituencies, including Nuapada, Khariar, Umerkote, Jharigam, Nabarangpur, Dabugam, Lanjigarh, Junagarh, Dharmgarh, Bhawanipatna, Narla, Chhatrapur, Gopalpur, Berhampur, Digapahandi, Chikiti, Mohana, Paralakhemundi, Gunupur, Bissam Cuttack, Rayagada, Laxmipur, Kotpad, Jeypore, Koraput, Pottangi, Malkangiri, and Chitrakonda will cast their ballots on the same day.
Following the submission of nomination papers, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled the scrutiny of the documents for Friday. Candidates will have an opportunity to withdraw their nominations until Monday, April 29, as per the ECI notification.
As of Wednesday, a total of 30 candidates had filed their nominations for the four Lok Sabha seats, setting the stage for an intense electoral contest in the respective constituencies.
The upcoming elections in Odisha are part of a larger electoral process encompassing 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats in the state. These elections are scheduled to be conducted in four phases on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1, with the counting of votes slated for June 4.