CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l may 14, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l JEYPORE EDITION Odisha defies national dip trend with 74% voters getting inked Nabarangpur LS seat sees highest turnout of 80.22%, Berhampur lowest at 63.34% E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar First phase polling in Odisha in southern districts was largely peaceful with around 74 per cent of voters exercising their franchise. The voter turnout is likely to increase and cross 70 per cent when final figures are available. Polling was held for four Lok Sabha seats, Berhampur, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Koraput along with 28 Assembly constituencies under them. The voting process was largely peaceful barring a few minor skirmishes reported from Chikiti area, chief electoral officer Nikunja Behari Dhal told mediapersons. While Nabarangpur recorded the highest polling of 80.22 per cent, Kalahandi and Koraput recorded 75.71 per cent and 77 per cent respectively Ber. hampur recorded the lowest polling of 63.34 per cent. The CEO attributed low polling in Berhampur to the fact that people in urban areas generally do not vote as enthusiastically as rural parts. Nabarangpur Assembly segment recorded the highest polling of 85.61 per cent followed by 85.20 per cent in Dabugam. Jharigam, Pottangi, Kotpad, Laxmipur and Umerkote also recorded more than 80 per cent voting. Berhampur Assembly segment recorded the lowest turnout of 54.14 per cent. In 2019 elections, in the first phase, the same four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly seats had witnessed high polling of over 74 per cent. Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency had also re- turnout lok sabha Nabarangpur Koraput Kalahandi Berhampur 80.22% 76.98% 75.71% 63.34% highest ac Nabarangpur Dabugam Jharigam Kotpad 74% 85.61% 85.20% 84.22% 83.92% lowest ac Berhampur Gopalpur Digapahandi Chhatrapur 54.14% 60.41% 62.73% 63.20% Source: Voter Turnout App Better 4th phase polling New Delhi: After registering a dip in voter turnout in the first three phases, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections saw a 64.09% turnout in 96 seats across 10 states and Union territories | P5 corded the lowest turnout of 65.89 per cent then. Even as polling was successful in Kotia, which is caught in a border dispute with Andhra Pradesh and Swabhiman Anchal, an erstwhile Maoist hotbed, where people came out to vote enthusiastically, violence was reported from Chikiti where supporters of BJP and Continued on P5 BJD clashed. AAP MP Swati India gets strategic depth with Maliwal alleges 10-yr deal to run chabahar port assault by PA of Kejriwal Y e s h i Sel i @ New Delhi U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly physically assaulted at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, following which she alerted the Delhi Police but did not file any formal complaint. Coming as it did in the midst of the general elections and with the AAP refusing to clear the air, the issue soon acquired political overtones. The police received a PCR call at 9.34 am from Maliwal, who was at Kejriwal’s residence, alleging that she had been assaulted by one of the chief minister’s staff. “As per information, the lady is saying that she is at the CM’s house and has been assaulted by CM’s PA Bibhav Kumar,” the note of the PCR call written by a policeman read. Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Meena said the local Station House Officer along with other staff reached the CM’s residence but didn’t find her there. Maliwal, the former Delhi Commission for Women chief, later visited the Civil Lines police station but did not give any formal complaint. The National Commission for Women then stepped in and said it will write to the Delhi Police seeking an Action Taken Report within three days. While no official reaction has come from Maliwal or the AAP the BJP slammed Kejri, wal and demanded accountability. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva sought a thorough investigation into the entire incident. Rahul holds first rally in rae bareli Says his family’s centurylong relationship with Rae Bareli behind his decision to contest from there | P7 India and Iran signed a contract on Monday allowing India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) to equip and operate the strategically located Shahid Beheshti Port in Iran’s Chabahar for 10 years. “We are scripting a new chapter in bilateral partnership. The contract will give a boost to regional connectivity and India’s linkages with Afghanistan, Central Asia and Eurasia,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said. The IPGL will invest approximately $120 million in equipping the port. India has also offered a credit window equivalent to $250 million, for mutually identified projects that will improve portrelated infrastructure in Chabahar. Shahid Beheshti is the closest Iranian port to India. The deep sea port can accommodate large cargo ships. It is a more economical and stable alternative route for Indian goods to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, bypassing Pakistan. In fact, more than 2.5 million tons of wheat and 2,000 tons of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan through the port since IPGLtook over its operations in 2018. SC to hear plea by Association for Democratic Reforms for timely release of voter turnout data on Friday
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