Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Tuesday said that the next three-tier panchayat elections in the state will be held at its scheduled time in February 2027.
This was stated by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water minister Rabi Narayn Naik while replying to a question by BJD member Ganeswar Behera in the Assembly.
There has been no decision at the government level to hold panchayat polls ahead of its schedule in February 2027, the minister said.
Naik said that the panchayat elections will be held as per the stipulated schedule. He said no guideline has so far been prepared for the reconstitution of blocks and gram panchayats.
The minister’s reply in the House has put a halt to speculations about early rural polls in the state following a statement of Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal. While addressing a party workers’ meeting last month, Samal had told the party rank and file to be prepared for early panchayat polls in the state this time.
There is a possibility of holding the rural polls two to three months ahead of the scheduled time, the BJP state president had stated. He had cited the 2027 census as a possible reason for advancing the timeline of panchayat polls.
However, State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi later stated that the polls will be conducted only after the existing rural bodies complete their five-year term.
The last rural polls were held in the state in five phases starting from February 16, 2022, and the next elections are due in 2027.
