By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 17, 2021: Rural polls scheduled early next year will be held in 6,794 Gram Panchayats (GPs) across Odisha, the State Election Commission (SEC) said.

The previous panchayat polls were held in 6,801 GPs in the state in 2017.

SEC Secretary Rabindra Nath Sahu said the ensuing Panchayat Polls will not be held in seven Gram Panchayats this time as they have been included in NACs (notified area councils).

Of these seven GPs, four are from Remuna in Balasore district, two from Odanga in Nayagarh and one is from Bijepur in Bargarh district, he said.

Similarly, the number of wards has also been reduced by elimination of 111 wards due to the merger with urban councils, Sahu said.

The three-tier panchayat polls this time will be held in a total 91,916 wards, excluding 111 wards. In 2017, the elections were held in 92,027 wards, he said.

A total of 49,469 ward member seats have been reserved for women while 12,031 have been kept reserved for candidates belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Similarly, 3,500 Sarpanch seats have been reserved for women while 778 seats are reserved for OBC out of a total of 6,794 seats.

Out of 6,793 Panchayat Samiti member seats, 3538 seats will be reserved for women and 913 seats for OBCs, he informed.

Of the 853 Zilla Parishad members, 433 are reserved for women and 104 for the candidates belonging to OBCs.

Earlier, considering demands of different political parties, the SEC had enhanced the election expenditure of candidates.

Candidates contesting for Zilla Parishad member can spend up to Rs 5 lakh, while the limit for expenses for Panchayat Samiti Member candidate and Sarpanch has been increased to Rs 2 lakh.

Earlier, it was Rs 80,000 for Samiti Members and Sarpanchs while Zilla Parishad candidates were allowed to spend Rs 2 lakh, sources said.