text: Bhubaneswar, March 16 (IANS) Following the announcement of the election schedule on Saturday, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal held a meeting with the members of all the recognised political parties in the state.
  According to the announcement made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, Odisha will vote for the 224-member state Assembly alongside the 21 Lok Sabha seats in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
  Dhal discussed all the poll-related details, including the recent guidelines of the Supreme Court for filing of nominations, affidavits, publication of criminal antecedents of candidates etc. during the meeting with the party leaders.
  Addressing a press conference later, Dhal said that around 3.35 crore voters in the state will exercise their franchise during the elections, adding that the number of women and PwD (Persons with Disabilities) voters has increased in the state as compared to 2019. The gender ratio of voters has also improved this time, he said.
  Out of the total 3,34,73,561 voters, 1,65,14,754 are females while 1,69,55,369 are male voters in Odisha. The number of PwD electorate stands at 5,19,861 as of March 15.
  “The most notable fact is that at around eight lakh, the number of young voters in the 18-19 age group is at an all-time high in Odisha. The young voters form 2.38 per cent of the total electorate in the state, which is also more than the national average,” Dhal said.
  There are around 38,000 polling stations in the state, with an average of almost 900 voters per booth.
  “For the first, we are introducing webcasting at 60 per cent of the polling booths in the state. The officials at the CEO’s office, the collectors, and the returning officers can keep a close vigil on all the activities at the polling stations through this technology,” Dhal added.