CEO Seeks Cooperation of Political Parties for Free & Fair Elections in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As the stage is set for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, State Chief Electoral Officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal on Saturday sought the cooperation of political parties for the conduct of free and fair elections in Odisha.

Briefing the media, the CEO said with the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force with immediate effect in the entire State.

All the provisions of the MCC will apply to all candidates, political parties and the State Government & the Union Government, he said.

As per the ECI notifications, the elections will be held in four phases – on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1 in the State.

Out of 21 Lok Sabha seats, three were reserved for SC and 5 for ST while in case of 147 Assembly seats 24 seats were reserved for Scheduled Caste and 33 for the Scheduled Tribes, the CEO said.

He further said that 30 District Election Officers including 21 Returning Officers(PC), 131 Returning Officers(AC), and 294 Assistant. Returning Officers(AC) have been appointed and trained to conduct elections smoothly.

Besides, around 2.70 lakh polling personnel (including 20 percent reserve) are being trained to be deployed in the Polling Stations throughout the State. Each polling station will be manned by a Presiding Officer & five Polling Officers.

The CEO said as on March 15, 2024, the state has total electorates of 3,34,73,561 which included 1,69,55,369 as male and 1,65,14,754 as female besides 3484 transgenders.

The CEO said that adequate arrangements have been made for ensuring the effective implementation of the MCC Guidelines. Any violation of these Guidelines would be strictly dealt with, he said.

He further said the Citizens can report instances of MCC violation using the C-VIGIL App.

The CEO also urged the all concerned Central/State Enforcement Agencies to keep a close watch to ensure inducement(cash/liquor/freebies) free elections.

Dhal also held a discussion with the representatives of various recognized political parties regarding the various aspects of the ensuing elections.