India News | Arrangements for Phase-1 of Odisha Panchayat Polls Complete: SEC
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The State Election Commission (SEC), Odisha, said all arrangements are in place to hold the first phase of the three-tier panchayat elections in adherence to the COVID-19 safety norms on Wednesday.
Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (PTI) The State Election Commission (SEC), Odisha, said all arrangements are in place to hold the first phase of the three-tier panchayat elections in adherence to the COVID-19 safety norms on Wednesday.
As elections to the panchayati raj institutions are being held under COVID-19 restrictions, voters must wear masks and maintain social distancing at the polling booths, SEC A P Padhi said.
Coronavirus patients will be allowed to cast their votes during the last hour of polling.
Over 67.51 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 22,379 booths to elect 200 Zilla Parishad members, sarpanches, Panchayat Samiti members, and ward members, the top official said.
Of the 22,379 polling booths, 3,357 have been identified as sensitive where video recording arrangements have been made.
Voters will be able to exercise their franchise between 7 am and 1 pm.
As many as 225 platoons of security personnel, comprising 37,245 policemen, have been deployed for smooth conduct of the elections, Padhi said.
The panchayat elections in Odisha will be held in five phases on February 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24.
In view of the boycott call given by Maoists, special security arrangements have been made in Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Balangir, Rayagada, and Kandhamal districts.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)