TNI Bureau: Voting for the second phase election in Odisha began amid tight security from 7 AM and will continue till 6 PM in as many as five Lok Sabha seats and 35 assembly constituencies under them spread in 11 districts. The poling is being held in 9,162 booths.

Aska, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh and Sundergarh are the five Lok Sabha seats and Bargarh, Attabira, Padampur, Bijepur, Bhatli, Bhanjanagar, Jharsuguda, Talsara, Sundargarh, Biramitrapur, Raghnathpali, Rourkela, Rajgangpur, Bonai, Birmaharjpur, Sonepur, Loisingha, Patnagarh, Balangir, Titlagarh, Kantabanji, Baliguda, G. Udayagiri, Phulbani, Kantamal, Boudh, Daspalla, Bhanjanagar, Polosara, Kabisuryanagar, Khalikote, Aska, Surada, Sanakhemundi and Hinji are the assembly seats where the election is being held today.

A total of 79,62,148 voters will decide the fate of 40 Lok Sabha candidates and 265 MLA candidates. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bikram Arukha, Niranjan Pujari, Pradeep Kumar Amat, Tukuni Sahu, Rita Sahu, former Union Minister Jual Oram, former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, former Union Minister Dilip Ray and four-time Lok Sabha MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo are some of the heavyweight leaders who are in the fray today.

Both seats of CM Naveen Patnaik, Hinjili and Kantabanji are going to polls today.

A total of 33,000 platoons of police force including 102 Coys of CAPF and 66 platoons of Odisha Armed Police have been deployed for the second phase election to ensure smooth, peaceful and fare election.

It is to be noted here that hee third phase polling will be held on May 25 in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri and Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituencies and the fourth and final phase polling will be held on June 1 in Mayurbhanj, Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituencies.