State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi on Saturday held a meeting with all district Collectors to discuss the preparedness for the ensuing Panchayat polls and preparation of electoral roll for the urban local body (ULB) elections.
Addressing a presser after the virtual meeting with the district Collectors, the SEC reiterated that political functionaries and non-voters will not be allowed to stay in a particular constituency after the ongoing campaigns for the rural body polls end.
Elaborating, Padhi said, "If the election is on February 16 in a particular area, campaigning there will end on February 14 (7 PM)- 36 hours before polling. So, those who are not voters of that particular region will have to vacate the area. They can't stay there as it will be a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and against the decision of the State Election Commission."
The first phase poll for the forthcoming Panchayat elections, which is set to be held on February 16, will be conducted across 30 districts and 71 Blocks in Odisha. On that day, polling to 200 Zilla Parishad zones, 1669 Gram Panchayats and 22379 Wards will be completed with 67.51 lakh voters exercising their franchise, said Padhi.
On polling in sensitive booths, the SEC said that extra police personnel will be deployed to ensure a smooth election. "Videography will be done in sensitive polling booths while strong rooms will be having CCTVs," he said.
On the ULB elections, Padhi said, "We have already published the draft electoral roll for the urban local body election and it has been shared with all political parties. The electoral roll can also be found on the official websites at the district level and corporations. The draft publication will be done from February 11 to 16, and people can file their objections (if any) during that period."
The SEC further said that for the first time, the voters will have the NOTA (None of The Above) option in the urban local body polls.