The election of three Municipal Corporations and NACs in Odisha will take place on March 24, 2022, according to State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi, who announced the date at a press conference on Friday. The code of conduct for the upcoming Urban Polls is now in effect.
According to reports, the notification for the Odisha Urban Polls will be issued on February 28, 2022, and nominations will be accepted between March 2, 2022, and March 7, 2022.
The nomination paper will be scrutinised on March 9, 2022. Candidates have until March 14, 2022, to withdraw their nomination.
On March 24, 2022, eligible voters can vote in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), and all other Notified Area Councils (NAC).
Following that, the votes will be counted on March 26, 2022. The indirect election for Vice Chairperson will be held on April 7, 2022, and the election for Deputy Mayor will be held on April 8, 2022. This year, there will be a direct election for the positions of Mayor and Chairperson.
The elections will take place in 106 Urban Local Bodies, including 47 municipalities, 59 NACs, and three Municipal Corporations (BMC, CMC, and BeMC).
In the Odisha Municipal Elections, a total of 41 lakh citizens will vote. The final voter list for BMC and CMC is already available. In Bhubaneswar, 7,25,765 citizens from 67 wards will vote at 705 polling stations. There are 3,94,510 male voters, 3,30,815 female voters, and 440 ‘others’ voters among the 7,25,765 total voters.
Similarly, in Cuttack, 4,50,759 citizens will vote in 59 wards. There are 2,31,030 male voters, 2,19,598 female voters, and 131 ‘others’ voters out of 4,50,759 total voters.
In the upcoming Municipal Elections, voting for Councillor and Corporator positions will be conducted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). Each booth will be outfitted with two electronic voting machines (EVMs). There will be one EVM for Councillors and Corporators and another for the Mayor and Chairperson.
Odisha Municipal Elections will be held for 110 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including 48 Municipalities, 59 Notified Area Councils (NACs), and three Municipal Corporations (BMC, CMC, and BeMC).
The SEC has also directed that the option NOTA (None of the Above) be made available to voters in the General Elections to Urban Local Bodies. The words ” ‘ଉପୋରକ୍ତ ପ୍ରାର୍ଥୀଙ୍କ ମଧ୍ୟରୁ କେହି ନୁହନ୍ତି’ “(None Of The Above Candidate) shall be printed in the last panel after the last candidate.
It should be noted that ballot papers of two different colours will be used in the elections for Municipalities/NACs and Municipal Corporations. In the exercise of powers conferred by Article 243 ZA of the Constitution, the colour of ballot papers for Corporators/Councilors will be ‘Pink,’ and for Mayor/Chairperson will be ‘Yellow.’
The Ballot Papers will be printed and pasted into the EVM’s Ballot Unit. It will be used for Tendered Vote and Election Duty Certificate (EDC).
Furthermore, the submission of affidavits by candidates has been made mandatory, as failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the nomination. This time, candidates must submit two affidavits, one of which will include a list of educational qualifications and assets, and the other will include family information.
Prasanta Patnaik