Bhubaneswar, September 30: Voting for the much awaited bypoll for the Pipili assembly constituency in Odisha's Puri district is underway on Thursday with strict adherence to the Covid-19 protocols. Over 2.29 lakh voters will exercise their franchise at 348 booths in the constituency between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

There was 7.8 per cent polling till 9 a.m., said the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha. Technical glitches in EVMs have been reported from six places, which were being sorted out, said an official. West Bengal By-Polls 2021: Voting Begins in Three Constituencies, Bhabanipur By-Election in Spotlight.

There are 201 sensitive (critical) polling stations in the constituency, where central armed police force (CAPF), micro observers, and webcasting have been deployed. The voting is going on under tight security. As many as 25 platoons of state police force along with 3 companies of CAPF have been deployed in the constituency.

About 2,200 polling personnel are engaged in the process, including the staff deployed to ensure implementation of Covid-19 appropriate behaviours at the polling booth, officials said. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy.

There are 10 candidates in the fray. The ruling Biju Janata Dal has fielded Maharathy's son Rudrapratap Maharathy while the BJP has nominated Ashrit Pattnayak and Congress has nominated Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra. The fate of these candidates will be known on October 3.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2021 11:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).