Odisha SEC Holds All-Party Meet on 2027 Panchayat, ULB Polls

Odisha SEC holds all-party meet on 2027 Panchayat, ULB poll preparations

Bhubaneswar, Oct 6

According to an official statement, representatives of various recognised political parties attended the meeting chaired by State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi and shared their views and suggestions on the preparation of the electoral roll for the upcoming elections.

During the meeting, the political party representatives were briefed about the house-to-house survey scheduled to begin across the state from October 26.

"Through this survey, the electoral roll will be made more accurate, updated and error-free," the official statement said, adding that it would also help ensure the proper inclusion of eligible voters' names in the list and verification of information related to ineligible, shifted or deceased voters.

The SEC, Odisha, urged all political parties to cooperate in the house-to-house survey process actively.

In particular, the Commission asked each political party to deploy its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at all polling stations across the state and ensure their active participation during the survey.

The political parties have also been requested to submit details of their BLAs by October 15 to the Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs).

In rural areas, the details are to be submitted to the respective BDOs, while in NACs and municipalities they are to be submitted to the Executive Officers. In municipal corporations, the details are to be submitted to the Deputy Commissioners/Assistant Commissioners.

"An accurate and error-free electoral roll is the foundation of a healthy and transparent electoral system," said State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi.

He said that, at every stage of electoral roll preparation, importance would be given to transparency, impartiality and everyone's participation.

Padhi also expressed the hope that, with the active cooperation of political parties, the electoral roll could be made more credible and error-free.

The meeting also discussed various aspects of the house-to-house survey, including cooperation from voters, collection of information by survey teams, and the addition, deletion and correction of names in the electoral roll.

The Commission urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and extend cooperation to ensure that no eligible person is left out of the electoral roll and no ineligible person is included.

Representatives of political parties offered suggestions on the preparation of the electoral roll for the forthcoming Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections. They assured the Commission of their cooperation in the house-to-house survey.

The State Election Commission noted that the entire electoral roll preparation process would be carried out as per the prescribed rules and guidelines.

— IANS