ECI holds meet with representatives of political parties in Bhubaneswar ahead of Odisha polls

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], February 16 : The Election Commission on Friday held important discussions with representatives of political parties in Bhubaneswar on the first day of their visit to the poll-bound state.
These discussions were aimed at ensuring a comprehensive review of election preparedness and fostering cooperation among all stakeholders, a press release from the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) Odisha read.
The ECI team conducted a review of poll preparedness for simultaneous elections to both the Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly.
At the outset, the Commission sought the views and concerns of the representatives of various recognised national and regional political parties. The focus was on soliciting active cooperation to uphold the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in letter and spirit and to ensure a smooth electoral process. Each party had ample opportunity for a patient hearing of their perspectives and concerns by the Commission.

Following this, the Commission and the delegation delved into detailed discussions with the District Collectors-cum-District Election Officers, and other officials responsible for election management across the state, the release said.
They assessed various aspects, such as the readiness of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), voter demographics, training status of election staff, and infrastructure setup at polling booths. The meeting involved high-ranking Police officers in the state as well.

The high-level delegation comprised Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioner of India Arun Goel, Senior Deputy Election Commissioners Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Vyas, Deputy Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sahu, Director General of Media and B Narayanan.
Chief Electoral Officer of Odisha and Additional Chief Secretary to Government Nikunja Bihari Dhal and Additional Chief Electoral Officer N Thirumala Naik were also part of the review meeting, the release said.
Odisha has 21 Parliamentary constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) got the maximum number of seats followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, BJP bagged 8 and the Congress won one seat.
The state has 147 Assembly constituencies. The BJD swept the state in the last polls, winning 113 seats in the 2019 elections held simultaneously with the general elections. The BJP came a distant second with 23 seats, followed by the Congress with 9, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with 1 and an Independent candidate bagging another seat.