Bhubaneswar: To update the electoral roll and enrol new voters, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha has asked the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up polling stations at 22 identified high-rises or housing societies in consultation with their resident welfare associations.In a letter to the zonal commissioners, additional chief electoral officer Sushanta Kumar Mishra said the Election Commission had directed the completion of all preparatory work for establishing these stations. He noted that the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) provided a list of 22 real estate projects across the city where the number of electors exceeds 600 or households exceed 300. These include colonies developed by banks and private builders.“You are requested to personally visit all the identified real estate projects to conduct a detailed enquiry and identify suitable infrastructure for establishing polling stations, in consultation with the respective resident welfare associations,” Mishra wrote.Real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan said that the move was a step in the right direction. “This will also encourage greater participation in elections by the middle and upper-middle class, who often tend to stay away,” Pradhan added. The directive marks a shift from a previous approach by the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA), which in September last year had asked project promoters, rather than allottee associations, to facilitate polling stations in housing projects with over 800 units.
