Rourkela: District Collector Gavali Parag Harshad chaired an all-party meeting in Sundargarh Wednesday in presence of other senior administrative officials. The meeting was conducted regarding the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the district and the proper implementation of the model code of conduct (MCC). The Collector informed representatives of the various political parties about the number of booths, the number of voters, and the respective returning officers for the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats. Besides, they were informed about the preparations being done by the administration to conduct polls peacefully.
The topmost officer of the district stressed on the importance of maintaining the model code of conduct in the district and informed the representatives about the rules of the polls. He also emphasised holding free, fair and peaceful elections in the district. Those present in the meeting were Talsara MLA, Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, BJP district secretary Bheshaj Ratha, member of the party’s state legal cell Prabhat Kumar Nanda, district president of Congress Ajit Prasad and Parsuram Saraf, Radha Mohan Patel from AAP and BJD vice-president Jaynarayan Tripathy. Sundargarh, despite being a border district with presence of Maoists and inter-state goon elements, has hardly witnessed any disturbances during the elections in the past. The Collector said that he would like the same situation to prevail in the upcoming polls.