Fani to blame as assembly poll in Odisha seat deferred again

The Election Commission has again pushed back polling for the Patkura assembly seat in Odisha, this time in view of the devastation caused by

cyclone Fani

in the coastal districts of the state. Election to the seat was to be held on May 19. The state’s chief electoral officer, Surendra Kumar, on Monday said the new date for polling will be decided after an assessment of the situation in the aftermath of the cyclone that hit Odisha on May 3. Patkura falls under the Kendrapada Lok Sabha seat. Though the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha ended on April 29, polling to the Patkura assembly seat had been deferred to May 19 from April 29 following the death of BJD candidate Bed Prakash Agarwalla.