The Odisha government issued a draft notification for the amendment of the Odisha Gram Panchayat Election Rules 1965, entailing counting of ballots in one day following the completion of all phases of voting.
The draft notification was issued by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department on August 20, seeking public opinion on the proposal of conducting counting of votes in one day.
As per the notification, the counting of ballots will not take place at the booths, as done earlier.
All ballot boxes will be transported to the office of the Election Officer and the counting of votes will take place on a later scheduled date after the completion of all phases of the rural polls, it said.
“The Presiding Officer shall, after close of the poll, seal the ballot box and voting machine in presence of candidates or their polling agents, prepare separate bundles of all papers and reports and forward the same to the Election Officer on the same day...,” it added.
The draft will be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of 15 days, the notification said.
The Opposition BJP and the Congress raised objections over the proposal, calling it “arbitrary”.
The BJP’s State general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said, “We want the election to be conducted as per the previous rules. The ruling party may change the poll results as the votes will be counted on a later date.” Congress lawmaker Tara Prasad Bahinipati also alleged that the rules will be amended to manipulate the poll results.
“We demand the counting should be done at the polling booths immediately after completion of the polling,” he said.
Senior BJD leader S.R. Dash, who is also the School and Mass Education Minister, said the State poll panel is a statutory body and all will have to obey its decisions.
The three-tier Panchayat polls in the State is likely to be held early next year.
