BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Arjun Munda, union ministers Jual Oram and Ram Kripal Yadav and many other senior leaders from the three main political parties BJD, BJP and Congress campaigned for the first phase panchayat polls scheduled on Monday.
The high profile campaign by heavyweights from all political parties for the first phase polls came to an end on Saturday evening. As many as 20,369 wards in 1506 gram panchayats under 189 Zilla Parishad zones in 29 districts will go to polls in the first phase.
According to the SEC, 58,28,446 will exercise their franchise on Monday.
Elections will not be held in Deogarh district in the first phase.
The SEC has asked the district collectors and superintendents of police to ensure that there is no law and order situation in their respective areas during the polls. Besides, the SEC has also imposed restrictions on the movements of political leaders after campaign came to end.
Leaders, workers and campaigners of different political parties have been asked to leave the place if their name is not enlisted in the voters' list of the same block. The SEC maintained that candidates cannot organise public meetings and rallies after the campaign hours. They also have been debarred from using loudspeakers.
Besides, the SEC has also banned all types of intoxicants from the blocks where polls will be held 48 hours before the polling day, on the polling and 24 hours after polling comes to a close.
The SEC has asked all the district collectors and SPs to strictly implement the order.
The SEC has asked the district collectors and SPs to coordinate among themselves to provide security to candidates, voters and polling officials. Besides asking officials to take all complaints of booth capturing seriously, the SEC directed the collectors and SPs to give special attention on the security of sensitive and very sensitive booths.
The SEC has also asked the observers to keep a close watch on violation of model code of conduct.