The State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday cancelled elections to eight seats in the ensuing three-tier panchayat polls scheduled to begin on February 13 following deaths of the local candidates.
The SEC has cancelled elections for the posts of four ward members, two sarpanches and one panchayat Samiti member and one Zilla Parishad member.
He said fresh elections would be held for these eight seats after the panchayat polls.
SEC Secretary Rabindranath Sahu said the decision of cancellation of the polls in these eight places was taken as per the rules and provisions in the Odisha Gram Panchayat Act.
“As per the Act, if a candidate dies after the announcement of the final list and before the election, in that case the election would be countermanded. After the withdrawal of nomination papers on January 21, elections to eight seats in different places in the State have been countermanded so far,” Sahu told mediapersons.
Elections for two sarpanch seats in Badabambua panchayat under Bisra block in Sundargarh district and Tukudiha panchayat in Keonjhar district, one seat of ZP member in ZP Zone-8 under Gania block in Nayagarh district, one seat for a member of Badagan Panchayat Samiti under Balikuda block in Jagatsinghpur district, ward member of ward no-two of Khirakona in Baleswar district, ward no-nine of
Dhusuri in Bhadrak
district, ward no-21 of Bagalagada under Niali block in Cuttack district and ward no-eight of Bamuni under Kosagumuda block in Nabarangpur district, have been countermanded due to the death of the candidates, Sahu informed.