Bhubaneswar: In a sweeping revision of Odisha's voter lists, the Election Commission has struck off more than 20 lakh names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with the draft rolls published on Sunday sparking political controversy.
Chief Electoral Officer R.S. Gopalan said the state had 3.33 crore voters when the rolls were frozen on May 20. Following the enumeration exercise between May 30 and June 28, the updated list now features 3.13 crore voters, 1.60 crore men, 1.53 crore women, and 2,775 third-gender individuals.
Of those excluded, 8.32 lakh were deceased, 10.07 lakh had shifted or were absent, and 1.58 lakh were found registered in multiple places. Around 14,000 failed to return enumeration forms.
Gopalan clarified that affected voters can file claims or objections through booth-level officers, the ECINET mobile app, or the official portal until August 4. The final rolls will be published on September 6.
The deletions, however, triggered sharp reactions. BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra alleged that over 27 lakh names were actually removed, accusing officials of hiding figures. Congress leader Rama Chandra Kadam went further, calling the exercise a "conspiracy" against voters opposed to the BJP. BJP MLA Babu Singh countered, saying the revision was an Election Commission process, not a party decision, urging objections to be filed through proper channels.