Bhubaneswar, Jul 10: The State Election Commission has sounded the bugle for the upcoming Panchayat elections in Odisha, announcing that polls will be held in April-May 2027, with the process to be completed by June. For the first time, a door-to-door survey will be conducted to avoid ward-level discrepancies and ensure voters cast ballots in their designated booths, officials said on Friday.

State Election Commission secretary Santosh Kumar Das, addressing a press conference, said the survey will begin in October after the completion of the Summary Revision (SIR) process in September. He added that the exercise aims to eliminate complaints of booth or ward changes, ensuring transparency in voter allocation.

The announcement has sparked political debate. Opposition parties Congress and BJD criticised the delay in holding the polls, while the ruling BJP countered strongly. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan asserted that the BJP will perform even better in the Panchayat elections than in the 2024 general elections.

Preparations are already underway, with meetings held with RDCs and district collectors. A routine meeting is scheduled for July 21, and arrangements for ballot paper printing have been initiated through government presses.

Also Read: Former BJD MP, MLA and Several Others Join BJP in Odisha

The political landscape has shifted since the 2022 Panchayat polls, when the BJD swept 766 Zilla Parishad seats. Following the 2024 general elections, several block chairpersons, a Zilla Parishad president, and hundreds of Panchayat representatives have joined the BJP, strengthening its grassroots presence. Observers note that this realignment could make it challenging for the opposition to counter the ruling party at the local level.