Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) has initiated preparations to conduct elections to the councils of 24 newly constituted urban local bodies (ULBs), with polling likely to be held in June, a senior official said on Wednesday.
State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi said that under existing legal provisions, elections to newly formed urban local bodies must be completed within six months of their notification.
On December 31, 2025, the state government had issued a notification declaring 24 new urban local bodies, comprising Notified Area Councils (NACs) and municipalities, across 14 districts of the state.
“The State Election Commission has initiated preparations for the timely conduct of ULB elections in the 24 newly formed urban bodies,” Padhi said.
He added that the SEC has already written to the state government seeking necessary arrangements to complete key preparatory steps, including delimitation of wards and reservation of seats, within the stipulated timeframe. Once these processes are completed, the commission will proceed with the preparation and updating of electoral rolls, Padhi said.
Elections are scheduled for a total of five newly declared Notified Area Councils (NACs) in Mayurbhanj district, three in Cuttack, two each in Ganjam, Sambalpur, Bhadrak and Kalahandi, and one NAC each in Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Khurda, Koraput, Rayagada and Subarnapur.
According to available information, the NACs of Betnoti, Bangirposi, Chitrada, Kaptipada and Rasgobindpur in Mayurbhanj will go to the polls. In Cuttack district, elections will be held in Salipur, Badamba and Narasinghpur, while Jagannathprasad and Patrapur in Ganjam are also set for polling. Voters in Bamra and Rengali of Sambalpur, Tihidi and Dhusuri in Bhadrak, and Narla and Jayapatna in Kalahandi will likewise cast their votes. Additionally, polling will take place in Pallahara (Angul), Simulia (Balasore), Sohela (Bargarh), Gondia (Dhenkanal), Tangi (Khurda), Borigumma (Koraput), Bissamcuttack (Rayagada) and Birmaharajpur (Subarnapur), with all elections expected to be completed by the end of June.
