BHUBANESWAR: The State Election Commission (SEC) has asked the State Government to provide two helicopters for deployment of security forces in the Naxalite-affected areas of Malkangiri district which will go to polls on Monday. The SEC has written a letter to the Home Department in this regard. Forces will be deployed in Kalimela, Korukonda and Kudumulugumma areas of Malkangiri district. Maoist hotbed Malkangiri, where four BSF men were killed in an IED blast triggered by Red rebels on Friday, recorded the minimum __ 52 per cent __ polling in the first phase. In the second phase, polling will be held in 278 booths of 25 gram panchayats of the district. Re-polling in 57 wards in 30 gram panchayats of 14 blocks in 10 districts will be held between February 13 and 19. According to the SEC, re-polling in ward number 5 in Undrukunda gram panchayat of Kalimela block will be held on Monday. Re-polling in a ward of Barang block in Cuttack district will be held on February 14. Similarly, re-polling has been ordered in a ward of Nadiali gram panchayat of Dhenkanal district on February 16. According to an SEC release, re-polling in two wards of Barchana and Dharmasala blocks of Jajpur district will be conducted on February 18. The highest __ 31 wards __ will be go for re-polling in Bramhagiri, Kanas and Krushnaprasad blocks of Puri district. The re-polling will be held on February 19. Re-polling will be held in eight wards of Endar, Barimul and Janara Barimul gram panchayats of Derabish block of Kendrapara district on February 19. Two wards in Ghasipur block of Keonjhar district and one ward in Gudari block of Rayagada district will also go for re-polling on February 19. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in sensitive areas for the second-phase polling on Monday. Polling will be held for 197 zilla parishad (ZP) seats and 1,475 sarpanch and panchayat samiti member posts. According to the SEC, 56.54 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in 20,481 booths across the State.
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