Bhuvaneswar: Odisha State Election Commission today said that 76 per cent voters turnout has been recorded in the fourth phase of the ongoing three-tier panchayat elections held in 28 districts of the state. The highest polling of 87 per cent was recorded in Sonepur district, while 65 per cent was the least polling in Ganjam district.

In this phase, about 50 lakh voters exercised their franchise to elect 162 Zilla Parishad Members, 1,324 Sarapanches and 18,876 Ward Members spread over 61 blocks in 28 districts, barring Jharsuguda and Boudh districts. The last phase of election is scheduled to be held on 21 of this month. Drones were deployed in Maoist-hit Malkangiri district for aerial surveillance during today’s panchayat elections to ensure smooth voting.