BHUBANESWAR: As the State government issued gazette notification for amendments to the Odisha Municipal Act, the Opposition BJP and Congress announced that they will continue to put pressure on the government till the urban local body (ULB) polls are held in the State.
Criticising the State government for delaying the urban body polls for more than two and a half years, BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said that the government decided to issue notification only after much hue and cry.
“We will continue to put pressure on the government till the elections are held in the State,” he added.
Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammad Moquim said that the State government has taken a step towards holding the polls after all round criticism.
He said that the government should start reservation of seats in a fair manner. However, BJD MLA Anant Narayan Jena informed that notification for the polls will be issued after the delimitation and reservation exercises are over.
Though the government is yet to start the delimitation exercise for the ULB polls, sources said that it may consider holding the elections after the panchayat polls in the State or they may go for simultaneous polls in February 2022.
As per the gazette notification, the maximum limit for reservation of seats has been kept at 50 per cent for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward class citizens in ULBs.