Odisha to hold Municipal Elections in 24 new urban bodies by June end

Municipal elections in Odisha are set to be conducted by the end of June this year, with the polls scheduled to take place in newly declared urban local bodies across the state, informed State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi on Wednesday.

To review the preparedness at the ground level, the State Election Commissioner recently held a meeting at the Ganjam District Council conference hall. During the review, election-related arrangements and administrative readiness were discussed in detail to ensure the smooth and transparent conduct of the upcoming municipal polls.

Election Norms

According to official norms, the election process must be completed within six months of the declaration of any municipal area. In line with this provision, the State Election Commission has initiated preparations to ensure the timely conduct of the elections.

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The Odisha government had issued a notification declaring 24 new Notified Area Councils (NACs) and municipalities. As a result, elections in all these newly notified urban bodies are required to be completed within the stipulated six-month timeframe. Officials confirmed that by the end of June, election results in these areas will be declared, followed by the convening of the first council meetings of the newly elected bodies.

Process Completion Within Mandated Period

In this connection, State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi has formally informed the state government by issuing an official letter, highlighting the necessity of completing the election process within the mandated period. 

“As per law, if a notification is released, then the NAC or Municipality election should be held within six months. So, we have written to the state government, as the NAC notification was released on Dec 31. Now, we have to complete all the work within 30 days. The delimitation and reservation are the duty of the government. If that is done, we can proceed to make the electoral roll. There is a process to do that. After all that is completed, the election process will begin,” Padhi told media persons.