Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The polling of the by-election to the Pipili Assembly Constituency in Puri district has begun at 7 AM today with tight security and strict protocols to the Covid-19 guidelines.
According to the reports, the polling process started at as many as 348 booths across the constituency from 7 am, and it will continue till 6 pm today. People are maintaining social distancing in the queues by wearing proper masks and also the sanitiser has been made compulsory for the voters. As many as 2,29,998 voters will cast their votes at 348 booths among which 201 have been identified as sensitive.
The report further added that for transparency and better monitoring of the situation, voting at 175 critical sensitive polling stations is being webcast. 20 ideal booths have also been set up across the Assembly constituency for the high-voltage by-poll.
A total of 1490 polling personnel are engaged in the election process. Besides, 700 additional polling personnel have also been appointed to ensure compliance with Covid appropriate behaviour during the election.
Around 22 platoons of armed police forces and three accompany of BSF jawans have been deployed in the constituency to maintain law and order during the polling. Also, 22 platoons of armed police forces including 80-90 officers are on duty to prevent any inconvenient events.
