Odisha: covid curbs on marketing campaign lifted 

By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: State Election Commision (SEC) on Monday lifted all Covid-19 restrictions on campaigning for the city native physique (ULB) polls in view of the reducing new instances within the State. Announcing this, State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi stated restrictions will probably be again if the variety of Covid-19 instances goes up. Padhi stated that elaborate steps have been taken by the Commission for the graceful conduct of the ULB polls on March 24. 

There will probably be extra polling personnel on responsibility as every sales space could have two EVMs — one for councillor/corporator and the opposite for chairperson/mayor, he stated. The SEC stated that in every polling workforce, there will probably be one presiding officer and 4 polling officers. We have additionally made provisions for the polling personnel in order that they will additionally train their franchise, if they’re voters of the city areas involved, he added.

Elections to 106 ULBs (47 municipalities and 59 NACs) and three municipal companies in Odisha will probably be held on March 24. The counting of votes will happen on March 26. Moreover, there will probably be NOTA choice for voters as polling will probably be held in 1,731 wards in municipalities and NACs and 161 wards of three municipal companies – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur.