Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) conducted a state-level training programme for officials to prepare for door-to-door surveys ahead of the 2027 panchayat and urban local body (ULB) elections, with a focus on ensuring accurate and updated electoral rolls. The programme, chaired by State Election Commissioner Madhusudan Padhi, focused on strengthening election preparedness and ensuring that the forthcoming polls are conducted in a transparent, fair, accurate and citizen-centric manner. At the outset, State Election Commission Secretary Santosh Kumar Das delivered the welcome address. Additional District Collectors, Deputy District Collectors, District Panchayat Officers, Assistant/Deputy Commissioners, Executive Officers, BDOs and BLO Supervisors participated in the programme.
Officers were imparted training on electoral preparations, preparation and revision of voters’ lists, field-level survey, election management and administrative procedures. In his address, Padhi urged officers to give priority to accuracy, transparency and accountability at every stage of the election process and provide easy and convenient electoral services to citizens. Special emphasis was laid on making electoral rolls more accurate through door-to-door survey.
The Commissioner directed field-level officers to ensure no eligible voter is left out and to correct errors related to name, address and other details, while taking necessary action as per rules regarding ineligible or absent voters. Padhi said accuracy of the voter list is paramount for a healthy and inclusive election process and asked officers to conduct house-to-house verification to include left-out eligible voters. Coordination among departments and officers at district and block level for timely completion of election-related works was also stressed. Municipal Director Arindam Dakua briefed on the door-to-door survey related to Municipal Elections, while Joint Secretary, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Surya Narayan Dash spoke on important aspects of Panchayat Elections. Bhubaneswar Deputy Collector Minoranja Sahu, Balipatna GPDO Hara Prasad Mohanty and BLO Supervisor Sudhakar Behera shared their field experiences from pilot surveys. A question-answer session was also held where officers clarified doubts regarding survey and voter list preparation.
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