BHUBANESWAR: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday announced elections to 106 urban local bodies (ULBs) and three municipal corporations on March 24. Counting of votes will be held on March 26.
Announcing the poll schedule, State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi told media persons that the model code of conduct will be in force in urban areas going to polls from February 25 to March 26. This is for the first time that elections to the posts of mayor in municipal corporations and chairpersons of municipalities and notified area councils (NACs) will be held directly.
The SEC said that 106 ULBs where elections will be held include 47 municipalities and 49 NACs. Elections will be held in 3,030 booths of 1,731 wards in 106 ULBs which have over 27 lakh voters. The tenure of most of the ULBs has come to an end since September, 2018.
Elections to Remuna, Chandbali, Dhamnagar and Bijepur NACs, which were formed recently, will be held for the first time. Elections will not be held in Hindol and Attabira NACs as their tenures are not over yet. Similarly, elections to Puri Municipality will not be held due to court cases.
The three municipal corporations will have total 168 wards and 1,407 booths. These include 67 wards and 705 booths in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), 59 wards and 452 booths in Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and 42 wards and 250 booths in Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC).
The Commission also announced that there will be NOTA option in the ULB elections for the first time. While notification for the polls will be issued on February 28, filing of nomination papers will be allowed from March 2 to March 7. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on March 9. '
The SEC said the withdrawal of nomination papers will be allowed upto March 14. Altogether 4,584 booths will be set up for the elections to all the ULBs. Each polling booth will have two EVMs, one for elections of councillors and another for chairpersons or mayors.
Padhi said that elections to the posts of vice-chairpersons in ULBs and deputy mayor in municipal corporations will be held on April 7 and April 8 respectively.