Bhubaneswar: While elections in Odisha are almost a year away, discussion over the likelihood of early Assembly polls appears to have cropped up again. Senior ruling BJD leader and former Minister Debi Prasad Mishra seems to have set the political circles abuzz with his reported statement that after he said that early Assembly polls may not be ruled out.
Stating thyat he has heard about the possibility of early elections, Mishra reportedly said the likelihood of holding the polls before it is due cannot be ruled out. People have been discussing it for quite some time. Moreover, with only a year left the the elections, all the political parties are gearing up, he said.
Like all other political parties, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is also getting ready for the elections, the senior BJD MLA said.
The senior BJD leader also mentioned about senior BJP leader Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan having talked about the possibility of early elections. State BJP president Manmohan Samal had also spoken about it.
There can be a possibility provided the Election Commission of India (ECI) wants Odisha to go to polls along with five other states where elections are due next, after Karnataka, he said.
Congress has meanwhile expressed its readiness to face early elections in the state. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak said the party is ready for the election whenever it is held. Even if the polls are advanced by a few months, the party is prepared, he said.
It may be noted here that the tenure of the BJD government is slated to end on June 24, 2024, while it is speculated that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik might dissolve the Assembly and seek fresh mandate.
The tenure of the current government in Mizoram ends in December 2023, while that in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana will be ending in January 2024, sources said.
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