Amidst polling delay due to technical glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs), violence flare-ups, hit and humid weather conditions in several places, Odisha on Saturday recorded 60 per cent voter turnout till the last reports received from the State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

The voter turnout till 5 pm stood at 60 per cent. It will further go up as voters were still in long queues inside the polling stations after the scheduled voting deadline of 5 pm, said Nikunja Behari Dhal, Chief Electoral Officer.

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The parliamentary constituencies of Cuttack, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Puri, Bhubaneswar and 42 assembly segments under these parliamentary constituencies went to polls on Saturday.

Barring stray incidents, the polling was largely peaceful. The voters who cast their franchise included particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs), women, transgenders, youths besides first-time electors. They took part in the voting exercise with enthusiasm despite humid weather conditions, the CEO said.

There was delayed voting in at least 25 polling booths as EVMs malfunctioned. The technical snags were later resolved leading to the resumption of polling. The EVM malfunctioning had however triggered tension in and around the polling booth areas.

Meanwhile, Khordha BJP assembly candidate Prashanta Jagadev was taken into police custody after he was accused of smashing an EVM at Booth-114 in Kaunriapatna under Begunia assembly constituency. In a similar act, sitting BJD MLA Sushanta Behera of Chhendipada allegedly attacked political opponents near a booth and video clip of MLA’s unruly act had gone viral in social media platforms.

The CCTV footage of these incidents involving candidates are being analyzed. Regardless of the stature of miscreants, stern legal action will be initiated against those involved in it, CEO Dhal said.

Today’s phase of polling will decide the electoral fates of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra and incumbent Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, six-time MP and BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahatab, Pranab Prakash Das, Biju Janata Dal’s organizing secretary, former Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik and corporate leader Santrupta Mishra.

As the third of polling has come to an end, the leading players- BJD and BJP- exude confidence of thumping electoral victories in LS and Assembly polls.

“The BJP will make a clean sweep in winning all 21 LS seats and will form the Government in the State. In the first three phases, people have reposed trust upon BJP. The last phase polling on 1 June will also go the same way,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday.

“As third phase ends, the BJD would like to humbly place the fact that the BJD is forming the government in Odisha. There was huge support for BJD reported from six LS seats of Sambalpur, Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal and all its assembly constituencies,” said Sasmit Patra, BJD spokesperson, in a statement.

The BJP was heading towards a massive defeat in the simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, he concluded.