Polling for seven Zilla Parishad seats and Sarpanch, Panchayat Samiti Member and Ward Member posts in 53 gram panchayats spread across three blocks, Jeypore, Dasmantpur and lamataput, in Koraput district would be held on Monday.
Voters would exercise franchise in a total of 465 booths on the first phase. Similarly, three blocks, Kundra, Semiliguea and laxmipur, would go to polls in the second phase on February 15 and voting will be done in Boriguma, Potaingi and Narayanpatana blocks in the third phase on February 17.
Election would be conducted in Koraput, Boipariguda and Boriguma blocks in the fourth phase on February 19 and in Kotpad and Nandapur blocks in the last phase on February 21.
A total of 7,68, 235 voters would elect 29 ZP Members, 240 Sarpanch, equal number of PS Member and many Ward Members by exercise franchise in 2,973 booths. Security has been tightened at all booths. While two policemen would be deployed at each normal booth, armed forces would guard sensitive booths, said DIG S Shyni. She said CCTV cameras would be installed at all hypersensitive booths besides deployment of armed forces.
On the final day of campaigning for the first phase, cine stars and heavy weight leaders participated in road shows for their respective party candidates. While cine star and BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty campaigned for his party candidates, singer Pinky Pradhan pitched for the BJP candidates.
Congress leaders like MlAs Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Krushna Sagaria and former MP Pradeep Majhi campaigned for party candidates. In a reaction, Bahinipati campaigning by cine stars would not impact voters at all. “Voters need doctors not actors. They will elect Congress candidates only,” he said.