Odisha to retain ballot papers for rural panchayat polls, use EVMs in urban areas

The Odisha government has decided to stick with its existing electoral methodology for the upcoming Panchayat and Municipal Elections scheduled for 2027. Rural panchayat polls will continue using ballot papers, while urban municipal elections will be conducted with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), officials said.

To facilitate the electoral process, the state election commission will undertake an extensive house-to-house survey beginning October 26 to prepare updated electoral rolls. This enumeration exercise is critical for ensuring accurate voter registration across both rural and urban areas ahead of the 2027 elections.

The decision to maintain separate voting systems reflects Odisha's effort to balance administrative efficiency with ground-level practicalities. While EVMs have been increasingly adopted in urban municipal elections across India for their speed and accuracy, ballot papers remain the standard in many rural panchayat elections due to infrastructural and accessibility considerations.

State authorities have emphasised that the survey will be comprehensive in scope, covering households across all panchayat and municipal areas to ensure no eligible voter is left out of the electoral register. The enumeration data will form the basis for delimitation and voter identification for the 2027 polls.