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EC issues notification for fresh poll in Dhinkia panchayat

BHUBANESWAR: More than two years after the administration failed to conduct panchayat elections in 13 Wards of Dhinkia gram panchayat in Jagatsinghpur district, the State Election Commission on Saturday ordered for fresh poll in the area.

According to the notification issued by the Election Commission, the 13 polling booths in the respective wards will be relocated at Trilochanpur village under Dhinkia gram panchayat and polling will be held on May 2.

When panchayat elections were held on February 21, 2007, the administration had not been able to conduct polling in the 13 booths due to violence in the area involving the locals supporting and opposing the proposed 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel plant project of POSCO-India.

The Commission ordered for fresh conduct of the polls accepting the suggestions of the District Collector of Jagatsinghpur about relocation of the booths in Trilochanpur village to avoid law and order problem.

In the elections held for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly on Thursday, the administration had shifted four polling booths of Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages to nearby Trilochanpur and Nuagaon villages.

As Dhinkia continues to the hub of the anti-displacement agitation against the proposed POSCO steel project and many of the residents had arrest warrants pending against them, the four booths had reported just 10 per cent voter turnout. The warrants against a number of villagers in Dhinkia and Gobindpur were issued in cases relating to the agitation against the steel project.

Communist Party of India leader Abhay Sahu, who had been leading the agitation against the steel plant project under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, was arrested in October last year. He is in judicial custody since his arrest.

As per the Election Commission notification, polling in the booths for the wards with number 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 will be held May 2 and counting of the votes will take place the next day.

Apart from election of the ward members for the respective wards, polling will also be held for electing the Sarpanch, Panchayat Samiti member and Zilla Parishad member.

The model code of conduct for the polls will remain in force in the wards concerned from April 25 to May 6, according to the Election Commission.

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