The Odisha government on Tuesday said that the state’s next three-tier panchayat elections are set to take place at the scheduled time in February 2027.
This was stated by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik during an Assembly session, in response to a query from BJD legislator Ganeswar Behera.
“There has been no decision at the government level to hold panchayat polls ahead of its schedule in February 2027,” the minister said.
Naik reiterated that the panchayat elections would follow the established timeline and noted that no specific guidelines have been drafted yet for the reorganisation of blocks or gram panchayats.
The minister’s reply in the House has put a halt to speculations about early rural polls in the state. The rumours were largely sparked by Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal, who had previously urged party workers to stay alert for a possible early election cycle.
Samal had suggested that rural polls might be moved up by two or three months, citing the potential overlap with the 2027 national census as a logistical reason for a shift.
“There is a possibility of holding the rural polls two to three months ahead of the scheduled time,” the BJP state president had stated
However, State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi later said that the polls will be conducted only after the existing rural bodies complete their five-year term.
The last rural polls were held in the state in five phases starting from February 16, 2022, and the next elections are due in 2027.
