Door-to-Door Voter Verification to Begin in October; Districts Asked to Complete Poll Teams by July 31
Bhubaneswar, July 21 (UDN):The Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) has initiated preparations for the 2027 Panchayat and Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, with a high-level review meeting held on Tuesday to assess the roadmap for the upcoming electoral exercise.
The meeting, chaired through video conferencing, brought together all district collectors to review administrative preparedness, voter roll revision, logistical arrangements and the timeline for key pre-election activities.
Addressing the meeting, State Election Commission Secretary Santosh Kumar Dash announced that the revision of the electoral roll will commence in October 2026. As part of the exercise, a statewide door-to-door verification drive will be carried out from October to November to authenticate voter details and update the electoral database ahead of the elections.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the verification process, the Commission will constitute field-level survey teams comprising Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers. District administrations have been directed to complete the formation of all such teams by July 31, enabling the Commission to roll out preparations in a phased and time-bound manner.
The review meeting also assessed the availability and condition of election materials, including ballot boxes. Officials informed that older ballot boxes will be repaired and refurbished, while additional new ballot boxes have already been procured to meet the requirements of the 2027 polls.
The SEC emphasised that timely completion of preparatory activities, including voter roll revision, logistics management and deployment planning, will be crucial for conducting free, fair and efficient Panchayat and Urban Local Body elections across the state.
With the groundwork now underway, the Commission has set in motion a comprehensive election preparedness plan aimed at ensuring a smooth and transparent electoral process in 2027.