CUTTACK: Panchayat elections are likely to be held in the state in January and February next year, state election commissioner (SEC) Madhusudan Padhi said on Saturday.
Presiding over a meeting to review arrangements and chalk out the roadmap for the next panchayat and urban local body (ULB) elections, Padhy said the urban body polls would be held after the rural elections.
The SEC said a door-to-door voter survey will be carried out for both panchayats and ULBs to ensure accurate and updated electoral rolls. The voter survey is likely to be completed before the elections.
The exercise, though, may be delayed by about a month due to the census process, he said.
Padhi clarified that the voter survey has no connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) which will be undertaken in the state later in the year. He said if required, some booths will also be reorganised. The main objective is to ensure that polling booths are located as close as possible to voters’ residences for their convenience, he said.
As part of the preparations for the polls, the SEC is holding meetings with district collectors, sub-collectors, deputy collectors, district panchayat officers, and municipal commissioners. The last meeting was held in Sambalpur on January 13 and the next meeting is set to be held at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district on January 20.