Elections 2024: Political hoardings, banners removed as model code of conduct comes into force

As the election Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force following the announcement of dates for the 2024 General Elections, the administration in Odisha has sprung into action to remove all the political hoardings and banners from the State.

Election preparation meetings were held in various districts today after the dates were announced on Saturday. District Collectors and SPs of Khordha, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Balasore, Jajpur and Deogarh districts held election preparation meetings. The district collectors also held meetings with political parties at some places.

Speaking about the preparedness, Kendrapara SP Sidharth Kataria said, “We have one company of CAPF. We have already done flag marches at three places. We also have 15 flying squads. Our main focus will be on enforcement of the law.”

“Our primary aim is to enforce the MCC first. We have held a meeting with all the parties so that the MCC can be enforced in a smooth manner,” said Khordha Collector Chanchal Rana.

As part of the enforcement of MCC, a day-long training camp for police officers was also held in Berhampur. After the MCC came into force, government advertisements, posters and banners were removed. Not just in Balasore, similar pictures emerged from Digapahandi in Ganjam and Talcher in Angul district too.

However, a different picture was seen in the capital Bhubaneswar. Government banners and posters are still put up in many places. Only the contractors were seen covering some advertisements with curtains.

Asked about the hoardings, BMC Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said, “We will remove all the political hoardings on government land in 24 hours. We will also remove all the banners and hoarding from private lands in 48 hours.”

This time elections are being held in seven phases. Odisha will go to polls in the last four phases. There are a total of 3,34,73,561 voters in Odisha, while the number of new voters is 7,99,334. After the announcement of the date, enthusiasm has increased among the new voters who are going to vote for the first time.

“I am pretty excited because it will be the first time I am going to vote. I will decide by looking at the developmental capabilities of the candidates and parties. I will take suggestions from my parents,” said a first-time voter Debidutta Dash.

Elections will be held in the same pattern in the state as in 2019. Along with coastal Odisha, Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency in western Odisha will also go to polls in the third phase on May 25. Although the pattern is not new, political analysts are of the view that the change in the political situation may also affect this pattern of voting.

“The polling pattern has been such that many regions like Southern Odisha, Coastal Odisha, and Western Odisha have been made to go to elections as pairs. It may influence the voting,” opined senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty.

However, a former Election Commission Secretary Azad Hind Panigrahi said, “Pollings are linked with neighbouring States and areas for security purposes so that security forces can be mobilised easily. The Election Commission decides the dates and polling areas taking these things into account.”