Odisha State Election Commissioner (SEC) Madhusudan Padhi on Sunday stated that the three-tier panchayat elections will be conducted strictly as scheduled.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a National Voters’ Day event in Bhubaneswar, Padhi stated, “The Panchayat elections will be held on time, following the completion of the five-year tenure of the current Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI).”
The state last held rural polls in five phases starting February 16, 2022, making the next elections officially due in early 2027.
Despite the standard timeline, the SEC said that essential groundwork is already underway at the revenue divisional level, including identifying polling stations and assessing ballot box availability.
Over the last 10 to 12 days, the SEC has held a series of meetings with district collectors to assess initial readiness and establish a streamlined roadmap for the electoral process, Padhi noted.
“Directions have been issued to begin work related to booths, ballot boxes and other required items, and we will follow up on this accordingly,” the SEC said.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal had earlier indicated that the panchayat elections in the state could be moved forward by as much as six months.
“The upcoming panchayat elections could be held earlier than scheduled, possibly two to three months ahead of the census,” Samal said while addressing the party workers and leaders at a meeting.
Samal urged BJP workers to maintain a high state of readiness, emphasising the party’s goal to secure a clean sweep across all wards, gram panchayats, and Zilla Parishad seats.
There are a total of 853 Zilla Parishad seats, 91,916 wards and 6,794 panchayats that will go to the polls.
Meanwhile, opposition BJD criticised the ruling BJP for making such an announcement of panchayat polls in its party office.
“The BJP has announced a constitutional matter at its party office. Which kind of mentality is this?” asked BJD MLA Arun Sahoo.
Defending the party’s stance, BJP leader Babu Singh asserted that the organisation is fully prepared for the rural polls whenever they occur, noting that the state president was providing necessary strategic advice to the cadre.
