Horoscope Today
Opinion Poll
Bhubaneswar (Orissa) : Various political parties in Orissa have geared up for the polls to be held for six Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), two of them Municipalities and four Notified Area Councils (NACs) on April 6.
All most all major political parties including ruling BJD, Opposition Congress and BJP, CPI, CPI(M), Samruddha Odisha, Samajwadi Party, JMM and others are making probable candidate list for the polls.
State Election Commissioner Ajit Kumar Tripathy said that a notification to conduct the elections to Paradeep, Belpahar Municipalities and Sunabeda, Balimela, Burla and Redhakhol NACs in April was issued from Tuesday.
Candidates would be nominated between March 15 and March 19 while scrutiny of nominations would be conducted on March 22.
The list of valid nominated candidates would be published on March 23 and withdrawal of nominations would be allowed till March 25.
The results would be declared on April 7 after the counting of votes.
As many as 1,45,329 urban voters would exercise their franchise to elect altogether 97 councillors from these six ULBs.
Elections of Municipality chairpersons and vice-chairpersons would be conducted on April 17 and May 6 respectively.
The State Election Commissioner said the model code of conduct would become operational in the concerned ULBs from today and would remain in force till the elections were over on April 7.
No new scheme would be launched nor any financial concession would be promised or announced by the government or any official agency during this period which could influence the voters.
Tripathy directed the government not to transfer any official of the ULBs and district collectors and district Police Superintendents without concurrence of the Commission.
Electronic Voting Machines would also be used for the elections.
While the posts of Chairpersons of Sunabeda and Redhakhol NACs have been reserved for SC candidates, the chairpersons of Paradeep, Belpahar and Burla Municipalities have been reserved for the women.
The Commissioner said the district magistrates would remain in overall charge of the elections.
In addition, the commission had appointed IAS and senior OAS officers as poll observers for the free and fair conduct of the elections, Tripathy said.
