Nuapada bypoll: Presiding officer suspended for violating voting secrecy, confirms Odisha CEO

Polling for the Nuapada Assembly by-election on Tuesday began under tight security, but proceedings were briefly disrupted after a presiding officer was suspended for failing to maintain voting secrecy. Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R S Gopalan confirmed the action at a press briefing, stating that voting otherwise continued peacefully across the constituency.

The incident occurred at booth number 36 in Kuliabandh, where Presiding Officer Dhananjay Mallik was suspended after an attendant accompanying an elderly woman pressed the button on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) instead of the voter herself.

“The presiding officer should have intervened, but did not. Hence, he has been suspended,” CEO Gopalan said. He added that the first polling officer had taken over duties, and a reserve officer was being deployed to fill the vacant position.

Officials said departmental proceedings would follow. The CEO also confirmed that the election process was being closely monitored via CCTV and no complaints had been received from voters so far.

EVM Glitch Reported At One Polling Booth

Earlier in the day, polling at booth number 76 in Mongrapali under Khariar Road was delayed after a technical malfunction was detected in the EVM. The faulty unit was immediately replaced, and voting resumed without further issues.

By 9 am, the voter turnout stood at 14.99 percent, with no law-and-order disturbances reported. Gopalan said polling personnel and security forces were in regular coordination to ensure smooth proceedings.

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Triangular Contest In High-Stakes Bypoll

The Nuapada bypoll, held following the death of four-time MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8, 2025, has shaped into a triangular contest between Jay Dholakia of the BJP, Snehangini Chhuria of the BJD, and Ghasiram Majhi of the Congress.

Over 2.53 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes across 358 polling booths. While polling continues till 5 pm in most areas, voting will close an hour earlier, at 4 pm, in 47 Maoist-affected booths to ensure the safe return of election officials.