BHUBANESWAR: With dates for elections to urban local bodies (ULBs) likely to be announced soon, the State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday started a two-day training programme for polling officials on handling electronic voting machines (EVMs).
SEC secretary Rabindra Nath Sahu said master trainers of 15 districts were trained on the first day, while trainers of remaining districts will attend the training session on the second day. The master trainers after completion of their training will brief the officials and staff to be engaged in the election duty at district-level on use of EVMs for polling. Elections will be held in 110 urban local bodies - 48 municipalities, 59 NACs and 3 municipal corporations.
Around 4,584 booths will be set up for elections in all the ULBs including the corporations and two EVMs will be kept in each booth - one for councillor/corporator and the other for chairperson/mayor. The SEC for the first time has allowed use of the None of the above (NOTA) option in the EVM during the upcoming urban polls in the State this year.