The Zilla Parishad (ZP) President elections in Malkangiri and Nuapada districts would be conducted on April 26, said a notification of the State Election Commission (SEC) here on Thursday. The polls for the post of ZP Vice-Presidents would be held on May 6.
Notably, the polls were not held for ZP Presidents in Malkangiri and Nuapada districts earlier. Recently, the Orissa High Court rejected a petition paving the way for conducting these polls.
The High Court directed the SEC to conduct polls for the post of ZP President in Malkangiri. The court also directed the commission to hold elections in 18 gram panchayats of the Chitrakonda I and II zones in the district.
Earlier, the SEC had stayed polls in the Chitrakonda I and II zones out of the total 13 ZP zones in Malkangiri after getting a joint report from the district Collector and SP regarding safety issues of the candidates, voters and election officials due to Maoist threat.