Odisha panchayat polls

The ECI, on January 11, announced the Odisha Panchayat Poll schedule. The five phased elections will begin from February 16, followed by February 18, 20, 22 and 24. Polling will be held between 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, to elect 91,913 ward members, 6,794 sarpanches and 6,793 panchayat members. At least 2.79 crore voters are eligible to cast votes and results will be announced on February 26, 27 and 28.