Malkangiri: With the 66 percentage polling recorded in Odisha in first phase of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, startling revelations came from Malkangiri district.
At least 15 booths in the Swabhimaan (erstwhile cut-off areas) region of the Maoist-infested district recorded zero polling on Thursday. 10 booths in Kunturpadar and five booths in Mathili block reported zero polling.
The booths in Mathili which registered zero polling are – Karapali, Temurupali, Dhakadrasi, Chamondarasi and Timasput. These places are Maoist-dominated, and fear of the ultras restricted the voters to their homes, a district official said.
Though adequate security arrangements were made for the peaceful elections in the sensitive region, things have not worked out as per plan. After no voting recorded in the 15 booths, poll parties have returned to the base camp.
The four Lok Sabha constituencies which voted today are Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput. Malkangiri comes under Nabarangpur parliamentary constituency.