Bhubaneswar: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha Sushil Kumar Lohani on Monday said although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not notified the date for the by-poll to Pipili constituency, the state machinery is ready for it.
Briefing the media, he said considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the number of polling booths in Pipili will be increased to avoid large gathering of the voters. “As decided, a maximum of 1,000 voters will cast their franchise in each booth,” he added.
The CEO further said the training of the polling personnel for the ensuing bypoll will begin from Tuesday.
The by-poll has been necessitated due to the death of sitting BJD MLA and former minister Pradeep Maharathy on October 4 last year.
