Odisha Minister Rules Out Postponement Of Panchayat Polls

Cuttack: Minister of Panchayatiraj Minister, Drinking Water, Housing & Urban Development and Law Pratap Jena on Monday ruled out postponement of panchayat elections in the state.

Speaking to the media during a visit to Haldia panchayat in the district, Jena said there is no possibility of deferring the panchayat polls by the state government.

“The state government has already submitted its report to State Election Commission (SEC) regarding the panchayat polls. The SEC is likely to announce the dates of elections very soon,” the minister said.

It may be noted that the SEC earlier this month had published the list of reserved seats for election to panchayatiraj institutions (PRIs). As per its notification released on November 16, of the total 853 zilla parishad member posts in the state, 64 seats have been reserved for SC candidates, 100 for ST, 84 for SC women, 118 for ST women, 40 for backward caste community (BCC) and 55 for BCC women.