Odisha to continue with ballot papers for rural polls, EVMs for urban
Odisha will continue to use ballot papers for panchayat elections while Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be deployed for urban local body polls scheduled next year, State Election Commissioner (SEC) Madhusudan Padhi announced on Thursday. He cited limited availability of machines and cost considerations for the decision. Vote counting, he added, will be conducted centrally.
Rationale for differing systems
Explaining the logistics, Mr. Padhi said the State has “around 91,000 booths across the State for panchayat polls, and we will require four EVMs per booth. The number of EVMs required for panchayat polls will be around 3.36 lakh. This quantity of EVMs is not available, and the usage of EVMs also costs high.”
In contrast, urban local body polling requires fewer machines per booth, making EVM deployment more feasible in towns and cities. “On the other hand, a large number of voters cast their votes in booths in urban centres and two EVMs are required for every booth. So, EVMs will be used in towns and cities,” the SEC said.
He also stated that the counting of votes will take place at centralised locations.
House-to-house voter survey from October 26
Mr. Padhi announced that a house-to-house survey to prepare electoral rolls for the Panchayat and Municipal Elections–2027 will begin on October 26, 2026. As per the timeline outlined by the Commission, the draft electoral rolls will be published on January 1, 2027, followed by the final rolls on February 10. Voters will be given 20 days to file claims and objections during the revision process.
Objectives and methodology of the roll revision
Detailing the goals of the exercise, the SEC said, “The primary objective of the survey is to ensure that all voters belonging to a family can cast their votes at the same polling station and that voters residing in the same locality can vote at a common polling station.” He added that the names of all voters belonging to a family would be listed sequentially in the electoral roll of the same ward and polling booth.
To streamline identification and reduce errors, a unique house number will be assigned to every household, and all voters residing in that house will be linked to that number. Political parties have been requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to support a people-oriented and accurate survey.
“The survey will be conducted with the objective of making the preparation of electoral rolls for the forthcoming Panchayat and Municipal Elections transparent, error-free and well-organised. For this purpose, the personnel deployed for the exercise will visit households from October 26 and collect the required information,” Mr. Padhi said.
The survey will also involve verification of existing voter information, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that the names of all eligible voters are correctly included in the rolls, he added.
Significance
The SEC’s announcement clarifies the State’s approach ahead of the 2027 local elections, balancing logistical realities with the need for accuracy and transparency in voter registration. While ballot papers will remain in use for the vast rural electorate owing to machine availability and cost, EVMs will continue to be the preferred method in urban centres, supported by a centralised counting arrangement and a door-to-door verification of electoral rolls.
