BHUBANESWAR: For the first time in its electoral history, Odisha will go to simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in four phases starting April 11. The elections were conducted in two phases last time.
As per the announcement made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday, elections to the State’s 21 Lok Sabha (LS) constituencies and 147 Assembly segments will be held on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. Accordingly, the ECI has imposed the model code of conduct with immediate effect which will remain in force till completion of the poll process.
Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput LS constituencies will go to polls in the first phase on April 11, while voting will be held in Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal and Aska seats in the second phase on April 18.
Similarly, elections in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri and Bhubaneswar will held in the third phase on April 23, while Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur will have the last phase voting on April 29.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar said the Assembly segments under these Lok Sabha constituencies will go simultaneously to the polls in the phases on the respective dates.
As many as 28 Assembly seats will go to polls in the first phase, 35 in second phase and 42 segments each in third and fourth phases. Counting of votes will take place on a single day on May 23 after completion of all phases of elections as per the standard practice, Kumar said.
He said notification for the first phase election and nomination filing will be declared on March 18, while the notifications for second, third and fourth phases will be issued on March 19, March 28 and April 2. The CEO said voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used to all polling stations this time.
Kumar said with the announcement of poll dates by the ECI, the model code of conduct is in force in Odisha like any other parts of the country which implies that no new Government works can be taken up, no transfers can be done and all posters, banners and hoardings of political personalities and advertisements having photos of political leaders have to be removed within 24 hours.
“All stake holders including Government officials, political parties and the election related machinery will have to ensure strict adherence to the model conduct,” the CEO said.