The Election Commission of India (ECI) declared on Saturday that there will be four phases to the voting process for the 147-member Odisha parliament. Voters will be able to cast their ballots on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, according to the notification. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar declared that the vote counting will happen on June 4. June 2, 2024 is the end of the current assembly’s term, which was elected in 2019.
Here’s the complete Schedule for the Odisha Assembly polls:
Issue of notification: April 18, April 26, April 29, May 7
Last date of notification: April 25, May 3, May 6, May 14
Scrutiny of nomination: April 26, May 4, May 7, May 15
Last date of withdrawal of candidature: April 29, May 6, May 9, May 17
Date of poll: May 13, May 20, May 25, June 1
Results: June 4
As per the ECI, four Lok Sabha seats in Odisha—Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput—and the Assembly segments under their jurisdictions will go for polls in the fourth phase on May 13.
Five Lok Sabha seats in the state—Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Aska—and the Assembly seats under them will go for elections in the fifth phase on May 20.
Similarly, polling will be held for six Lok Sabha seats in Odisha—Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Puri and Bhubaneswar—and the Assembly segments under them in sixth phase on May 25.
Finally, voting for Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seats and the Assembly constituencies under them will be conducted in the seventh phase on June 1.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, up to 96.8 crore voters would cast ballots at 10.5 lakh polling places nationwide.
In addition, the ECI will hold simultaneous assembly elections in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
For the polls to go smoothly, up to 1.5 crore poll workers and security officers would be sent out. 55 lakh EVMs will be used to conduct the voting.
There are 47.1 crore female voters and 49.7 crore male voters in the nation, according to ECI data. In the elections of 2024, at least 1.8 crore first-time voters will cast ballots.
India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Rajiv Kumar, claims that all polling places will have access to restrooms and drinking water. Additionally, voters with disabilities will have access to specific facilities.
Seven phases will be held nationwide for the Lok Sabha elections. April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1 are the dates of the poll.
At a news conference in New Delhi, the CEC stated that the counting will take place on June 4.