Bhubaneswar, Feb 18: Voting for the second phase of the three-tier Panchayat Polls is underway today, in 186 Zilla Parishad zones under 68 blocks across the state amidst tight security and strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
Polling will continue till 1 pm. From the beginning at 7am till 9 in the morning, voter turnout of 20 per cent was recorded in the state.
The fate of as many as 747 Zilla Parishad candidates will be sealed in ballot boxes in the second phase of Panchayat Polls-2022. Over 62 lakh voters will exercise their franchise at total 20,435 booths today.
The three-tier panchayat elections in the entire state will be held in five phases— February 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. Over 2.79 crore voters will cast vote in total 6,794 panchayats and 91,913 wards.
To ensure smooth conduct of the elections, Odisha Police has deployed a total of 240 platoons force and 1,753 mobile patrolling parties across the state today.
For poll violence in the first phase, police had arrested 16 persons in Puri district, 14 in Jajpur and six in Dhenkanal district.
As per the State Election Commission (SEC), the voter turnout in first phase of the elections held on February 16 was 77.23%.
