Odisha Begins Preparations for 2027 Panchayat Polls; Door-to-Door Voter Survey Planned

The Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) has begun pre-election preparations for the 2027 three-tier Panchayat and Urban Local Body (ULB) elections. The notification for the Panchayat elections is expected to be issued in April 2027, after the completion of the national Census, with the election process likely to conclude by June 2027.

State Election Commission Secretary Santosh Kumar Das said the Commission has already held meetings with Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs) and district collectors. Another review meeting through video conferencing has been scheduled for July 21 to assess the progress of preparatory work.

Door-to-Door Survey for First Time

For the first time, the State Election Commission will conduct a door-to-door survey to prepare booth-wise voter lists. Earlier, voter lists were largely prepared through desk-based exercises using the Election Commission of India’s electoral rolls.

Officials said the field survey will ensure that voters are assigned to the polling booth nearest to their residence, reducing inconvenience and improving voter turnout.

Booth-Wise Voter List to Be Updated

The Commission plans to update the electoral rolls after the survey so that every voter is mapped to the appropriate booth. According to officials, a mismatch between voters’ residences and polling stations has contributed to lower voter turnout in previous elections.

Odisha has 6,794 Gram Panchayats with around 91,930 wards or polling booths, all of which will be covered under the survey.

High-Level Review Meeting on July 21

The State Election Commission has written to all District Collectors and District Magistrates directing them to participate in a high-level review meeting on July 21 through the Odisha State Wide Area Network (OSWAN) platform.

The meeting will be attended by Collectors, Additional District Magistrates (Municipal Election Nodal Officers), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and other district-level officials.

Political Reactions

Reacting to the preparations, BJP spokesperson Manoj Mahapatra said the State Election Commission is a constitutional body carrying out its responsibilities independently. He also claimed that the BJP had begun preparations for the Panchayat elections well in advance and asserted that the ruling party is fully prepared for the 2027 polls.

Meanwhile, he criticised the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), questioning its organisational strength ahead of the upcoming local body elections.