Odisha Panchayat Polls Likely in March; Voter List Update Underway
The Odisha State Election Commission is preparing to conduct Panchayat elections in late March or early April 2026.
A door‑to‑door survey to update the voter list will be carried out between October 24 and November 7, with objections and claims addressed before the final list is published in the second week of February.
The ongoing census, scheduled to conclude by March 5, has delayed the announcement of election dates, as the tenure of current Panchayat bodies ends in February.
Municipal elections are expected to follow about a month later, covering newly declared NACs, municipalities, and municipal corporations.
To manage logistics, the Commission has ordered 15,000 additional ballot boxes for Panchayat polls and 6,000 extra EVMs for municipal elections.
Political parties have already begun mobilising in anticipation of the polls, signalling the start of an intense campaign season across the state.
