Panchayat Polls: Voting For 1st Phase Begins

Bhubaneswar (Reporters Today Bureau): Odisha Panchayat Polls-2022 began as voting for the 1st phase of the elections commenced at 7 am, today. Polling will be held from 7 am to 1 pm amid tight security and strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. Over 67.51 lakh voters will decide the fate of 726 Zilla Parishad (ZP) candidates in the first phase of panchayat polls.

The three-tier panchayat elections in Odisha will be held in five phases — February 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. Over 2.79 crore voters will exercise their franchise in 6,794 panchayats and 91,913 wards. The election will be held for the positions of ward member, sarpanch, panchayat samiti member and ZP member.

In the first phase of elections, 200 Zilla Parishad zones in 71 blocks in all the 30 districts will go to the polls. Voting will be carried out at 22,379 wards and 1,669 panchayats across the state. As many as 67.51 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase.