Puri: The counting of votes for the by-polls to the Pipili assembly constituency of Puri district of Odisha began at 8 am on Sunday. The officers provided this information.
An official said that a three-tier security arrangement has been made at the counting center in Pentakota godown.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer SK Lohani said 72 government officials are engaged in the counting process.
He said the live feed of the hall is being broadcast on big screens outside the center to avoid crowding at the counting tables.
After the counting of votes is over, the results of five Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) and EVMs will be randomly matched, he said.
After the death of BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathi in October 2020, the constituency went to polls on 30 September as the seat remained vacant for almost a year.
The Election Commission had postponed the bypolls thrice due to various reasons.
The electoral fate of 10 candidates, including Rudrapratap Maharathi of the ruling BJD, Aashrit Patnaik of the BJP and Bisvokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra of the Congress, will be decided today.
Pipili assembly constituency is considered a fortress of the ruling BJD as its member Pradeep Maharathi won the seat five times in a row since 2000.
Though the bypoll was scheduled to be held on April 17, it was canceled after Congress candidate Ajit Mangraj succumbed to Covid-19 three days before the polls.
Later, polling was to be held on May 13 and May 16 but this too was postponed.
(with agency input)
An official said that a three-tier security arrangement has been made at the counting center in Pentakota godown.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer SK Lohani said 72 government officials are engaged in the counting process.
He said the live feed of the hall is being broadcast on big screens outside the center to avoid crowding at the counting tables.
After the counting of votes is over, the results of five Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) and EVMs will be randomly matched, he said.
After the death of BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathi in October 2020, the constituency went to polls on 30 September as the seat remained vacant for almost a year.
The Election Commission had postponed the bypolls thrice due to various reasons.
The electoral fate of 10 candidates, including Rudrapratap Maharathi of the ruling BJD, Aashrit Patnaik of the BJP and Bisvokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra of the Congress, will be decided today.
Pipili assembly constituency is considered a fortress of the ruling BJD as its member Pradeep Maharathi won the seat five times in a row since 2000.
Though the bypoll was scheduled to be held on April 17, it was canceled after Congress candidate Ajit Mangraj succumbed to Covid-19 three days before the polls.
Later, polling was to be held on May 13 and May 16 but this too was postponed.
(with agency input)
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