Dikhyaa Mohanty 
With the exception of a few isolated violent incidents, Monday’s first-round Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha were mainly peaceful, with 74% of voters casting ballots by 11.30 p.m., defying the national trend of declining voter turnout. When the final numbers are released, there will probably be a large rise in voter turnout.
Along with 28 Assembly constituencies, voting was conducted in four Lok Sabha seats—Berhampur, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, and Koraput. While voting in 7,303 booths across the four Lok Sabha zones began at 7 am due to EVM glitches that required the replacement of some control units, ballot units, and VVPATs, the closing time varied based on the number of voters who had lined up to exercise their right to vote until 6 pm.
Tension erupted at a voting place in K Nuagaon when voters were accused of trying to sway them to support a specific political party, while BJP and BJD members battled in Chikiti. Narasingh Bhatra, the BJP candidate from Jharigam, was also reportedly attacked by several miscreants as he entered a booth to confirm accusations of booth capturing at the constituency’s Deulakana village.
In South Odisha, there were about 62.87 eligible voters who could decide the fate of 280 contenders in the first round of voting. The following three rounds of voting are scheduled for May 20, May 25, and June 1.
