Brajrajnagar votes today, 11 candidates in the fray

Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Elaborate arrangements are in place for the Brajrajnagar byelection scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
Around 1,116 polling personnel reached their respective polling booths along with all election materials on Sunday morning itself, the authorities said.
Though 11 candidates are in the fray, the contest appears to be a triangular one between BJD’s Alaka Mohanty, the wife of late Kishore Kumar Mohanty whose death necessitated the bypoll, BJP’s Radharani Panda and Congress nominee Kishore Chandra Patel, each exuding confidence of doing well.
While BJD has left no stone unturned to retain the seat, the opposition BJP and Congress too have campaigned hard to woo the voters in their favour.
A total of 2,14,878 voters, including 1,10,050 males, 1,04,811 females and 17 third gender electors, will exercise their franchise from 7 am to 6pm across 279 booths.
The Jharsuguda district administration will conduct webcasting in 145 booths identified as sensitive. The administration has decorated 30 model polling booths with better amenities and five pink booths to encourage women voters.
Jharsuguda superintendent of police Rahul Jain said three companies of central armed police forces, comprising two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and one Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, will be deployed to ensure a free and fair poll.
“We have deployed 25 mobile parties, eight sector officers, three zonal officers, and two additional superintendents of police. We have also deployed six flying squads and 10 static surveillance teams. We have also sealed the neighbouring borders at six different places. Apart from this, in every booth, we have deployed one constable/home guard and in around 72 booths we have deployed central armed police force personnel,” the SP said.
Jharsuguda district collector Saroj Kumar Samal said all the polling officers have reached their respective booths.
“The voting will begin at 7am. The Brajrajnagar assembly constituency has been divided into 31 sectors. Each will have a sector officer and a sector magistrate to supervise the arrangements. Apart from this, around 25 police mobile parties have been deployed. Ten static surveillance teams and a flying squad will keep an eye on the polling process,” he said.