Bhubaneswar: With the announcement of the Nuapada Assembly constituency bye-election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has officially come into force, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan said today while briefing the media on the poll arrangements.

Gopalan stated all polling booths will have real-time webcasting facilities to ensure transparency. Each booth will accommodate 1,200 voters, with the constituency having 1,22,103 male and 1,26,132 female voters, along with 4,000 differently-abled and 2,007 senior citizens. A total of 358 polling centres will be set up across the constituency.

To maintain security, voters and polling agents will be required to deposit mobile phones at the booth before casting their votes. Helpline 1950 will be activated, and special arrangements will be made for elderly voters who wish to vote from home.

All candidates contesting the bye-election must disclose their criminal antecedents three times, and the police will verify the criminal records of every candidate who files nominations.

Meanwhile, the no-campaign zone, which was earlier 200 meters around the booths, has been reduced to 100 meters this time. Anyone can complain about the C-vigil app for violation of the model code of conduct.

Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the bye-election schedule. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated polling will take place on November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. The notification will be issued on October 13, while the deadline for filing nominations is October 20. Scrutiny of papers will be conducted on October 22, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 24.

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were also present at the press conference.

The bye-election was necessitated by the passing of sitting Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Rajendra Dholakia, a former minister and four-time legislator from Nuapada, who died on September 8, 2025, at the age of 69.

In the 2024 Assembly elections, Dholakia had retained the seat with a margin of over 10,000 votes, defeating BJP candidate Abhinandan Panda.