People queue up at a counter at the Khurda sub-collector's office to submit electoral details. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 11: The electoral process for the forthcoming civic polls began in the municipal corporation today with the publication of the preliminary electoral rolls.

This year, there will be 6,90,434 voters in 67 wards as against 6.4 lakh voters in 60 wards in 2008. Besides, the number of polling booths has increased from 635 to 680.

Additional district magistrate and election officer for the polls Manoj Patanaik said: “Today, we started displaying the provisional electoral rolls in 67 prominent places in all the 67 wards. Two other places where the electoral rolls will be on display are at the corporation office and the additional district magistrate’s office so that people can come and file objections for corrections to be made in the list.”

The claims and objections from voters will be received between September 11 and September 25. While the election officer will hear objections on September 24 and 25, the claims will be published on September 26. Following this, the hearing of the claims will be conducted from October 1 to 10.

“Once the final electoral rolls are worked out, it will be published between October 15 and 19. The list of proposed booths will be out on October 15 and the final one will be published on October 19. This will then be submitted to the state election commission (SEC) for approval on October 21. The printed copy of the electoral rolls will be submitted to the SEC on October 31,” said Patnaik.

The present corporation council will be dissolved on December 9. Therefore, the new body should be in place by December 10. However, the SEC will notify the poll date for the corporation.

On the other hand, the council of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) will be dissolved on February 13, and so the new council will be in place by February 14. That is why the poll process is yet to start for the CMC. It is expected that the process will be initiated in the first half of December.

“We are yet to receive any notification in connection with the civic body polls,” said Cuttack additional district magistrate Laxmidhar Mohanty.

The state government has notified the final list of delimited wards for the CMC. According to the final notification, five new wards have been created by bifurcating the existing 54 wards.

“The initial process for the civic polls has been completed with the government issuing the final list of delimited wards on September 2. This was done after making necessary changes keeping in view the objections made by various people,” said CMC deputy commissioner Jaga Narayan Kuzur.

“The process for the municipal election is slated to begin soon after a notification is received along with prescribed guidelines for the polls,” Kuzur said.