Odishatv Bureau

The State Election Commissioner Aditya Padhy on Friday informed that the upcoming panchayat polls in Odisha will have central counting.

Padhy said that the ballot boxes will be stored in strong rooms at block levels after the polling is over. More ballot boxes may be required for the central counting- at least one ballot box for each polling booth, he said.

"For the first time, central counting will be done for the panchayat elections. Earlier, counting was being done at the polling booths itself. Now, we will keep the ballot boxes in the strong rooms at block level," said Padhy.

The Odisha Assembly had on September 8 passed the Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021. The Bill, which provides reservation ceiling at 50 per cent for SC, ST and OBC, has effectively cleared all the legal impediments restricting the conduct of the panchayat polls scheduled for early 2022.

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