Even as Opposition BJP and Congress in Odisha have demanded that the forthcoming Panchayat elections be deferred till the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, the State Election Commission is likely to announce the rural polls dates on Tuesday.
Speculation in this regard has been rife following the meeting of State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi with the Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal at the Raj Bhavan to brief him about preparations. Padhi also reviewed the law and order situation at a high-level meeting with DGP SK Bansal and Home Secretary.
Earlier on Saturday, Odisha government had issued Gazette notifications calling upon the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the State to elect their members. The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj consists Zilla Parishad at the district level (ZP), Panchayat Samiti at the block level (PS) and Grama Panchayat at the village level (GP).
Meanwhile, the Opposition political parties have demanded postponement of the polls for the third wave of the pandemic and lack of reservation for ST and OBC candidates. The demands were placed at the all-party meeting called by the SEC. The ruling BJD, however, insisted on holding the elections on time.
(Edited by Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)