Bhubaneswar, Oct. 21: Elections to 22 urban local bodies in nine districts of western Odisha will be held on November 22 and a notification to this effect will be issued on October 25.

Announcing the poll schedule today, the state election commission said that the elections in the proposed Sambalpur and Rourkela municipal corporation areas would be held later. The model code of conduct, which restricts the state government from making major policy decisions, came into force from today.

The commission had postponed the elections in 25 civic bodies including Sambalpur, Hirakud and Rourkela in August due to an agitation by lawyers for the establishment of a permanent bench of Orissa High Court. The lawyers suspended their agitation after the Naveen Patnaik government’s decision to write to the Centre recommending a separate high court bench for western Odisha.

Although the state government has not recommended any location for the bench, it is believed that the Justice C.R. Pal Commission, which is examining the demands, will make a specific recommendation about the places where separate benches could be set up. The agitating lawyers, whose stance is “no court, no vote”, will meet on October 27 in Sambalpur and decide their future course of action. “We will take a decision (about the polls) at a meeting of the central committee on October 27,” said Ashok Das, convenor of the central committee.

Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said: “The commission should have consulted with political parties before announcing the dates. As the people of western Odisha had opposed the polls, will act according to the wishes of people of the region.”

BJP leader Suresh Pujari said: “The decision has come as a surprise to us. We will go by the popular aspirations of people of western Odisha.”

The commission said that elections to 10 municipalities and 12 notified area councils would be held on November 22. State election commissioner Ajit Kumar Tripathy said: “Following reports from the state government, the decision to hold elections was taken. Elections will be held in 22 urban local bodies, 342 wards and 669 booths,” said Tripathy.

The commission also said that no decision had been taken about election dates of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack municipal corporations.

Quick look

Notification by election officer: October 25

Filing of nominations: October 28 to November 1 (11am to 3pm)

Scrutiny of nomination papers: November 4 (11 am onwards)

Withdrawal of candidature: November 7

Poll date: November 22 (8am to 5pm)

Counting and results: November 23