Bhubaneswar:The Housing and Urban Development Department has issued a new time schedule for completion of the processes relating to ward delimitation and seat reservation for the forthcoming elections to Municipalities, Notified Area Councils (NACs) and Municipal Corporations in Odisha.
All concerned District Collectors, except the District Collector, Boudh, have been apprised of the schedule, which incorporates partial modifications to the schedule issued earlier by the Department.
As per the revised schedule, the concerned District Collectors will publish the draft notification on ward delimitation and seat reservation on September 24, 2026, inviting objections and suggestions from the general public. The last date for submission of objections and suggestions is October 3, 2026.Thereafter, the concerned District Collectors will publish the preliminary notification on ward delimitation and seat reservation on October 7, 2026. Appeals against the preliminary notification may be filed before the H & UD Department from October 7 to October 21, 2026.The concerned District Collectors shall forward the appeals received, along with their recommendations or comments, to the Office of the Director of Municipal Administration through a special messenger by October 22, 2026.
The State Government, as the appellate authority, will hear the appeals and take a final decision during the period from October 26 to October 28, 2026.As the final step in the process, the concerned District Collectors will publish the final notification on ward boundary redetermination and seat reservation on October 31, 2026.
Meanwhile, a revised timeline has also been prescribed for the processes relating to ward delimitation and seat reservation in the Municipal Corporations of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Rourkela.
By September 24, 2026, the respective Municipal Corporations are required to submit information relating to ward delimitation and seat reservation to the H & UD Department in the prescribed Form-I and Form-II, along with sketch maps indicating ward boundaries and the resolution of the concerned Municipal Corporation.For these four Municipal Corporations, the Department will publish the draft notification on the proposed redetermination of ward boundaries and seat reservation on October 5, 2026, inviting objections and suggestions from the public. The last date for submission of objections and suggestions is October 14, 2026.
In accordance with the revised schedule, the Housing and Urban Development Department has instructed all concerned District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners to ensure that the processes relating to ward delimitation and seat reservation are completed smoothly, systematically and within the prescribed timelines.
