Bhubaneswar, May 21: The Odisha State Election Commission has postponed the scheduled panchayat by-elections, originally set for June 23, due to concerns over heavy monsoon rains.

The elections were meant to fill 1,131 vacant positions, including 1,043 ward members, 40 Panchayat Samiti members, 43 Sarpanchs, and 5 Zilla Parishad seats.

Reason for Postponement

District officials and candidates had raised concerns about adverse weather conditions, prompting the Election Commission to seek a weather report from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Based on the forecast, the Commission decided to delay the elections to ensure safe and smooth polling.

Election Process and Next Steps

Before the postponement, the nomination process was scheduled to begin on May 26 and continue until May 31. Voting was planned for June 23 from 7 AM to 1 PM, with counting set for June 24.

However, the notification for the elections has now been put on hold, and a new date will be announced soon.

The Model Code of Conduct, which was enforced from May 20 to June 24, will likely be revised once the new election schedule is finalised.

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