Silence period begins in Nuapada ahead of polling; 47 booths identified as ‘sensitive’

With just a day left for polling, the silence period officially began on Sunday in Nuapada Assembly constituency segment, marking the end of election campaigning for the high-stakes bypoll.

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The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)-Odisha R.S. Gopalan announced that the period started from 4.00 PM today, prohibiting any form of public campaigning or political messaging.

CEO Gopalan informed that all political workers who had arrived from other districts have now been instructed to leave the constituency, ensuring compliance with the Election Commission’s guidelines.

Gopalan further stated that polling parties will leave tomorrow and are expected to reach their respective booths by the evening. Adequate security measures have been put in place, with police and central paramilitary forces deployed across all polling stations to ensure law and order.

Expressing confidence, the CEO said he is hopeful of a peaceful and orderly voting process in Nuapada. The by-election, which has drawn significant political attention, will test both administrative preparedness and voter sentiment in the region.

“We have ensured adequate security arrangements for smooth conduct of the bypoll on November 11. Central security forces have been deployed at all polling stations across Nuapada, and a total of 47 booths have been identified as sensitive,” the CEO said.

Worth mentioning, the bypoll to Nuapada Assembly constituency was necessitated due to the demise of Rajendra Dholakia on September 8 due to health-related issues.

Dholakia was a four-time MLA from the Nuapada seat. He was a minister in the previous Naveen Patnaik-led government from 2022 to 2024.

CEO Gopalan had previously stated that there are around 2.48 lakh voters in Nuapada constituency. The segment has a total of 358 polling stations, including 56 new ones. Webcasting will be conducted in all booths across Nuapada during the by-election.