All arrangements in place for Dhamnagar by-poll: Odisha CEO

Tight security arrangements have been made in the Dhamnagar constituency in Odisha which goes to by-election on Thursday, state chief electoral officer S K Lohani said. While the ruling BJD has fielded a woman Abanti Das as its candidate, the opposition BJPs nominee is Suryabanshi Suraj, son of late MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi whose demise on September 19 necessitated the by-election.

Tight security arrangements have been made in the Dhamnagar constituency in Odisha which goes to by-election on Thursday, state chief electoral officer S K Lohani said. As many as 1,000 police personnel and four companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed and the entry and exit points of Dhamnagar constituency in Bhadrak district have been sealed, Lohani said. Of the total 252 polling booths, 110 have been declared sensitive, and there will be webcasting in 126 booths, he said. There are five candidates in the fray for the by-poll. While the ruling BJD has fielded a woman Abanti Das as its candidate, the opposition BJP’s nominee is Suryabanshi Suraj, son of late MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi whose demise on September 19 necessitated the by-election. The Congress has fielded advocate Baba Harekrushna Sethi while former BJD MLA Rajendra Das is in the fray as an Independent candidate. AAP nominee Anwar Sheikh is also in the electoral race. A ban has been imposed on the broadcast of exit or opinion polls during voting on November 3, he said. Canvassing for votes within a distance of 100 meters from the polling booths has also been prohibited. The CEO said at least five cases have been registered with the police in connection with poll code violations. A total of 1,008 polling officers have been deployed, he said. Over 2.38 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. He said that there will be 15 model booths and five pink booths, which will have women security personnel and polling parties. Pick-up and drop arrangements have been made for voters with physical disabilities, he said, adding that there will be ramps, separate queues, and wheelchairs for them.

The CEO said dummy ballot papers in Braille will be available with each presiding officer for helping visually challenged voters, he said. Polling will be held from 7 AM to 6 PM and the counting of votes will be on November 6.