Bhubaneswar, Jan, 16: Patnagarh in Balangir district is currently the most voter-populated Assembly constituency in the state, with 3,02,304 voters in 2024.
Bhubaneswar North Assembly constituency has about 2.75 lakh voters, while Kantabanji in Balangir has more than 2.74 lakh voters. If the number of Assembly seats increases, these constituencies are expected to undergo major changes. Some areas may be merged with other constituencies, or entirely new constituencies may be created.
In the coming years, the number of MLAs in the Odisha Legislative Assembly is expected to increase by nearly 50. Based on the 2027 Census, a fresh delimitation and reorganization of Assembly constituencies will be carried out. There is a strong possibility that new constituencies will be created in the state before the 2029 elections.
Political observers have already started analyzing which constituencies will be geographically restructured and which ones may be split to form new Assembly segments. Sitting MLAs and aspirants have also begun doing their political calculations.
Along with delimitation, the reservation status of constituencies is also likely to change. Several reserved seats (SC/ST) may become general, while some general seats may become reserved. In such a scenario, many new political faces may emerge, while established leaders may find their political equations disrupted.
According to the 2024 election data, Odisha has more than 3.32 crore voters. With 147 Assembly constituencies, the average number of voters per constituency is around 2.25 lakh.
If constituencies are reorganized strictly on the basis of voter population, then the geographical boundaries of 65 voter-heavy Assembly constituencies in the state will change significantly.
These changes are expected to have a major impact on Odisha’s political landscape and electoral strategies ahead of the 2029 Assembly elections.