Bhubaneswar: All Opposition parties of Odisha barring the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) demanded postponement of panchayat polls by three months at the all-party meeting called by State Election Commission (SEC) today in view of the Covid-19 situation in the State.
The Opposition parties sought postponement in view of the ongoing third wave of Covid-19 in the State and on the issue of reservation for backward class citizens and scheduled tribes (ST).
Similarly, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Orissa High Court seeking postponement of the three-tier panchayat elections in the State.
The PIL has been filed by Bharatiya Vikas Parishad.
The Parishad has stated in the PIL that no reservation has been provided for Backward Class Citizens in the upcoming polls. It has questioned how polls can be conducted when Covid-19 cases are rising in the State.
On the other hand, after the all-party meeting, SEC Aditya Padhi has said that all parties have expressed their views on whether panchayat elections can be held or not under the present Covid situation.
Padhi said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued guidelines for the conduct of polls in a few States.
The SEC will be soon coming out with guidelines formulated on those lines, Padhi added.
