Odisha Voter List Revision: Over 20 Lakh Names Flagged for Deletion; Opposition Raises Concerns
The draft electoral rolls for Odisha, published on Sunday as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, have identified nearly 20.14 lakh voters' names for deletion. This follows a month-long door-to-door enumeration exercise aimed at updating the voter list in the state.
According to the draft rolls, the total number of electors in Odisha has decreased from 3.33 crore before the SIR process to 3.13 crore. The revised list includes 1.60 crore male and 1.53 crore female voters.
The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has raised concerns over the deletions, stating that more than 10,000 voters were identified for deletion from 75 of the total 147 Assembly constituencies. Senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said, “Many genuine names were excluded in the draft electoral roll because of minor anomalies, which need to be included during the claims and objection process.”
To address these concerns, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has deployed 147 electoral registration officers (EROs) and 994 assistant EROs to scrutinise the objections and claims. This exercise is to be carried out by September 2, providing an opportunity for affected voters to have their names reinstated if they meet the eligibility criteria.
The Special Intensive Revision is a standard procedure conducted periodically to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls. However, the large number of deletions has sparked debate, with the opposition urging a thorough review to prevent disenfranchisement of genuine voters. The Election Commission has assured that all claims and objections will be processed fairly and transparently.
