Bhubaneswar: On Thursday, voting for 109 urban civic body polls in Odisha began for three Municipal Corporations, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur, as well as 47 municipalities. The polls opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m.
A total of 40.55 lakh people are eligible to vote in the elections. There are a total of 6,411 contestants in the race (569 for Chairperson/Mayor positions and 5,842 for Councillor/Corporator positions). In Odisha, direct elections for the top seats of local bodies are being held for the first time.
Sulochana Das, a journalist-turned-politician, cast her vote in Bhubaneswar for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Mayor candidate. However, due to technical issues with the computerised voting machines, voters had to wait a lengthy time (EVMs).
Independent candidate Ritika Balwantrai says, "This is the first time an election for Mayor and Corporators has been held. People are turning out to exercise their right to vote."
The BJD won 766 wards out of 852 Zilla Parishads in Odisha's panchayat elections last month, while the BJP and Congress won 42 and 37 wards, respectively. Seven seats were won by independents and other parties.
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