Bhubaneswar, Jan 16: After witnessing the deceleration of the abduction of poll officials by Maoists and threat posters which were issued by the ultras recently in which it asked villagers to stay away from the panchayat polls or else they will have to face consequences, the State Election Commissioner R N Senapati is expected to take a decision as to whether elections should be conducted in the cut-off areas of Malkangiri during the five phases for which dates have been announced. As nomination filing process has been disrupted in five panchayats of the cut-off areas due to the recent happenings, the State Election Commission (SEC) might extend the deadline for poll candidates of the panchayats for filing of papers as well. A new last date for nomination filing for Panasput, Andrapalli, Jantri, Gajalmamudi, Jodamba panchayats in cut-off areas are likely to be announced today. The SEC might hold panchayat polls in the cut-off areas only amidst special security once the voting process gets over in other parts of Odisha. Earlier, the state poll commission had notified that nomination papers can be filed in between Jan 11 and 17. Scrutiny will be held on Jan 18 while the last date for nomination withdrawal is Jan 21. The final list of poll candidates will be announced on the same day.
