Bhubaneswar: All candidates contesting the ensuing panchayat polls in Odisha can only go for door-to-door campaign with not more than five persons, said State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi on Tuesday.
Addressing a presser, Padhi informed that any type of gathering is not allowed. Road shows, cycle rally, padayatra, or public meetings has been restricted. Only door-to-door or virtual campaigning is allowed.
The polling will be held in five phases across the State with a gap of one day between each phase. A total of 2,79,35,520 voters will be exercising their franchise to elect 91,913 ward members, 6,794 sarpanchs, 6,793 panchayat samiti members, and 853 zilla parishad members.
Padhi had on January 8 held a high-level meeting with the Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena, ACS Health Raj Kumar Sharma, and other officials over the present Covid-19 situation in the State ahead of the ensuing panchayat polls.
Another meeting was held with Odisha DGP to check the feasibility of conducting the elections amid the pandemic.
