Bhubaneswar: Sept 16 [UDN}:The much-awaited three-tier Panchayati Raj elections in Odisha are expected to be conducted in five phases during the last week of March and the first week of April 2027, according to information shared by State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi. The elections will cover the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions across the state and will be conducted using ballot papers.
The State Election Commission is already undertaking preparations for the rural elections, with around 91,000 polling booths reportedly ready across Odisha. According to the State Election Commissioner, a state-wide survey will be conducted from October 24 to November 7 as part of the electoral roll preparation process.
The primary objective of the survey is to ensure that voters are correctly placed in their respective wards and that voters belonging to one ward remain enrolled in that particular ward. Following the revision process, the draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on January 1, 2027, while the final voter list is expected to be published by February 10, 2027.
The reservation process for seats in the Panchayat elections is also expected to be completed by October 31. Once the delimitation, reservation and electoral-roll-related preparations are completed, the State Election Commission will move ahead with the formal election schedule.
The timing of the Panchayat elections is particularly significant because the state is also preparing for the subsequent municipal elections. According to the State Election Commissioner, the urban local body elections are likely to be conducted within 15 days to one month after completion of the Panchayat elections. Unlike the Panchayat polls, the municipal elections will be conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The election calendar is linked to the completion of the 2027 Census process, which is expected to conclude on March 5. After the Census exercise is completed, the State Election Commission is expected to issue the notification for the Panchayat elections, paving the way for the five-phase polling process.
The State Election Commission had earlier indicated that the elections could face delays depending on the progress of the Census process. However, the latest preparations indicate that the commission is working towards conducting the Panchayat polls around the end of March and beginning of April 2027.
The upcoming elections are also expected to be politically significant. Major political parties in Odisha have already begun preparations for the rural polls. For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently in power in the state, the Panchayat elections will be particularly important as it will contest the elections as the ruling party for the first time in Odisha.
The performance of the BJP at the grassroots level will be closely watched, especially in view of the political changes witnessed in the state. Opposition parties are also expected to intensify their organisational activities and campaign preparations as the election approaches.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commissioner has also clarified that elections to the Sambalpur, Rourkela and Puri Municipal Corporations will be conducted simultaneously in 2027. By-election processes for the remaining Panchayat seats are also expected to be held during the same year.
With voter-list revision beginning in October, completion of the reservation process by October 31, publication of the draft electoral roll in January and the final electoral roll in February, the state election machinery is moving towards a structured election timetable.
If the schedule proceeds as indicated, Odisha will witness a major electoral exercise beginning with the five-phase Panchayat elections in March-April 2027, followed shortly afterwards by elections to urban local bodies. The final dates, however, will be formally confirmed through notifications issued by the State Election Commission.
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