Bhubaneswar, May 23: The counting of votes for all the 147 Assembly seats in Odisha began on Thursday, May 23. Polling in The Gopalpur, Berhampur, Digapahandi, Chikiti, Chhatrapur Assembly constituencies went to poll in the first phase on April 11. In Odisha, voting took place in four phases between April 11 to April 29. The first phase was held on April 11, second on April 18, third on April 23 and fourth on April 29. The state voted simultaneously for Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies. There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha.

In Odisha, there will be tough fight between the incumbent Biju Janata Dal (BJD) headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and Indian National Congress Party this time. Odisha Assembly Elections 2019 Schedule: Polling for All 147 Seats in four phases, Counting of Votes on May 23.

All You Need to Know About Gopalpur, Berhampur, Digapahandi, Chikiti, Chhatrapur Assembly constituencies:

Gopalpur:  This Vidhan Sabha constituency of Ganjam district includes Gopalpur, Ward Nos. 25 to 27 of Brahmapur, Rangailunda block and 4 Gram panchayats (Hugulapatta, Gurunthi, Barigan and Nimakhandi) of Kukudakhandi block. For the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP has fielded Bibhuti Bhusan Jena from this constituency while the Congress has given its ticket to S Dharmaraj Reddy.

The ruling BJD has given its ticket to D.Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy and the Independent candidate Biswa Bihari Bishoyi will contest the polls from this seat. In 2014 election, Biju Janata Dal candidate Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy defeated Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Bibhuti Bhusan Jena by 20,112 votes.

Berhampur: The Berhampur Vidhan Sabha constituency of Ganjam district comprise of ward no. 1 to ward no. 24 of Brahmapur Municipal Corporation. For 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP has given its ticket to Kanhu Charan Pati while Lingaraj Choudhury of the Congress will contest the election from this seat.

The BJD has given its ticket to Bikram Kumar Panda while BSP candidate Ashok Kumar Sahoo will contest from the Berhampur seat. In the elections held in 2014, Biju Janata Dal candidate Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik defeated Congress candidate Bikram Kumar Panda by 1,039 votes.

Digapahandi:  Digapahandi Vidhan Sabha constituency in Odisha is located in the Ganjam district which includes Digapahandi, Digapahandi block and 16 Gram panchayats (Rohigam, Baulajholi, Kukudakhandi, Masiakhali, Jagadalpur, Ankushpur, Dakshinapur, Ballipada, Dengapadar, Bontapalli, Anantayi, Lathi, Mohuda, Kankia, Sahala and Baghalati) of Kukudakhandi block.For the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP has fielded Pinky Pradhan from this constituency while the Congress has given its ticket to Prafulla Panda.

The BJD has given its ticket to Surjya Narayan Patro while BSP candidate  Pabitra Kumar Tripathy will contest from this constituency. In the last elections held in 2014, Biju Janata Dal candidate Surjya Narayan Patro defeated Congress candidate Saka Sujit Kumar by 45,897 votes.

Chikiti: The Chikiti Vidhan Sabha constituency of Ganjam district includes Chikiti N.A.C., Chikiti Block and Patrapur Block. In the run up for the upcoming assembly polls in the state, BJP has fielded Manoranjan Dyan Samantara from this constituency while the Congress has given its ticket to Subas Raut.

The ruling BJD has given the ticket to Usha Devi from the Chikiti constituency while Independent candidate Saroj Kumar Panda will contest the elections from this seat. In the 2014 election, Biju Janata Dal candidate Usha Devi defeated Congress candidate Mano Ranjan Dyana Samantara by 32,148 votes.

Chhatrapur: The Chhatrapur a Vidhan Sabha constituency of Ganjam district includes Chhatrapur, Ganjam, Rambha, Chhatrapur block and Ganjam block.  For the 2019 polls, the BJP has given its ticket to Prasanta Kumar Kar while the BJD has fielded Subash Chandra Behera from the Chhatrapur constituency while BSP candidate Ramahari Behera will contest polls from this seat. In 2014 elections, Biju Janata Dal candidate Priyanshu Pradhan defeated Communist Party of India candidate Krushna Chandra Nayak by 22,019 votes.

In March, the EC had announced that voting across the country will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Polling in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections 2019. During the upcoming elections, a total of 91 constituencies will go for polls in first phase, 97 in second phase, 115 in third phase, 71 in fourth, 51 in fifth, and 59 each in sixth and seventh phase from April 11 to May 19. Assembly Elections 2019 Schedule: Voting in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim on April 11; Odisha To Witness 4-Phase Polls.

In the last elections held in the year 2014, CM Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had won 117 seats, while the Congress was the second largest party with 16 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had managed to win only 10 of the 147 seats in Odisha.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2019 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).