Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), May 18: Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal assured that all necessary arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the second phase of polling for five Lok Sabha and 35 Assembly seats in Odisha on May 20.
Speaking at a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Dhal stated that voting will take place in 9,162 polling stations, including the addition of 14 booths.
Approximately 20% of the total booths have been categorized as sensitive or critical, especially those situated in districts affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Dhal noted. Consequently, a total of 102 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed in the districts where polling is scheduled to occur on May 20.
Dhal further disclosed that the highest deployment of 22 companies will be in Kandhamal district, with 20 companies in Ganjam, 16 in Sundargarh, 14 each in Balangir and Bargarh, 5 in Jharsuguda, 4 in Sonepur, and 2 in Nayagarh.
Regarding voter enrollment, Dhal stated that a total of 79,69,887 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the elections for the five parliamentary and 35 assembly constituencies in the second phase. This electorate comprises 39,45,000 female voters, 40,33,992 male voters, and 851 transgender voters.
