New Delhi (Agency): The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) upcoming visit to Odisha on September 13 has led many to wonder if the state might have early assembly elections. Although the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Nikunja Bihari Dhal, stated that the visit is not connected to early elections, major political parties are signaling they are prepared for an election whenever it might happen.
According to CEO Dhal, the ECI team will meet with district collectors on their visit. “The checking of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will start in October and finish by November 15,” he said. However, Dhal emphasized that both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections would happen “as per schedule.”
Political parties, especially the opposition parties like the BJP and Congress, think that early elections could happen in Odisha along with five other states later this year. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was one of the first politicians to suggest that the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) might be interested in early elections. The state last held early elections in 2004.
Despite remaining mostly quiet about the possibility, leaders from the BJD said they were ready for elections whenever they occur. “We have nothing to fear as the people of Odisha are with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,” stated BJD legislator D S Mishra. The state government has also introduced various welfare programs in anticipation of the elections, originally planned for early next year.
BJP MLA Mukesh Mahaling said his party was also ready for elections whenever they are scheduled. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattnayak also stated his party was prepared, claiming that “people have understood that BJD and BJP are two sides of the same coin.”
Senior BJP leader and Balasore MP, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, argued that holding separate elections for the assembly and Lok Sabha would be costly and could slow down development in the state.
As per the current plan, the next assembly elections for Odisha’s 147 seats should be held before June of next year. The upcoming ECI visit, although officially unrelated to early elections, has nonetheless sparked a wave of speculation and readiness among Odisha’s political landscape.