BHUBANESWAR: After a wait of more than a month, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled polls to Patkura Assembly constituency on July 20. The election will decide the fate of BJP veteran Bijay Mohapatra.
Mohapatra is seeking election from the constituency to enter the Assembly after a long gap of 19 years. He was last elected to the Assembly in 1995 polls. This time, he will face BJD candidate Sabitri Agarwala in a direct contest as the Congress no longer remains a major force in the constituency. Congress has fielded Jayant Mohanty from the seat.
With this announcement, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in Kendrapara district. The ECI has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the election in all the polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available and all steps taken to ensure that the poll is conducted smoothly. According to the ECI notification, counting of votes will be done on July 24. Earlier, election to the constituency was postponed twice.