Kandhamal records 61% turnout

Bhubaneswar, Oct 15: Kandhamal Parliamentary constituency in Odisha recorded 61% voter turnout as the by-election passed off by and large peacefully on Wednesday.According to Chief Electoral Officer Mona Sharma here, initial reports indicated that 61% voters in the constituency came out to vote in the seven Assembly segments under Kandhamal.Polling was conducted at 1400-odd in the seven Assembly segments of Phulbani, Baliguda, G.Udayagiri, Boudh, Kantamal, Daspalla, and Bhanjanagar from 7 am to 4 pm amid tight security arrangements.Additional security arrangements were made in the areas having Maoist presence.The percentage of polling is likely to increase by a few per cent as polling was conducted even after 4 pm to ensure that those who had entered the premises of some booths by the end of the scheduled time cast their votes.The people of seven wards in Tikabali area of Kandhamal district, however, boycotted voting to register their protest against non-construction of a bridge over a river in their locality.Some electronic voting machines developed technical snags in the initial hour, but the authorities promptly replaced them immediately.