Odisha SIR: 20 lakh deletions in draft voter list; Oppn flags exclusion over ‘minor anomalies’

3 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Jul 5, 2026 02:31 PM IST

A total of 147 electoral registration officers (EROs) and 994 assistant EROs have been deployed by the CEO to scrutinise the objections and claims — an exercise to be carried out by September 2. (Express Photo)

Nearly 20.14 lakh voters’ names have been identified for deletion in Odisha as per the draft electoral rolls published on Sunday, following a month-long door-to-door enumeration process as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in the state.

While the number of total electors in Odisha before the SIR process was 3.33 crore, the number has come down to 3.13 crore in the draft rolls. This includes 1.60 crore male and 1.53 crore female voters.

The Opposition BJD has raised concerns over the draft electoral roll, saying more than 10,000 voters were identified for deletion from 75 of the total 147 Assembly constituencies in the state. “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,” said senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra.

Among the names deleted from the draft were 8.32 lakh found to be deceased. While 10.07 lakh names were deleted because they had moved elsewhere or were absent during the process, 1.58 lakh were found to have been enrolled in multiple places.

Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), R S Gopalan, said the claims and objections period starts from Sunday. The final roll, after hearings and verifications, will be published on September 6.

“If anyone’s name is not found in the draft voter list, he/she has to fill and submit a Form 6 with a declaration form and other documents to get the name included in the final roll. Form 6 can be submitted before the local booth-level officer (BLO) or online,” said Gopalan.

A total of 147 electoral registration officers (EROs) and 994 assistant EROs have been deployed by the CEO to scrutinise the objections and claims — an exercise to be carried out by September 2. At least 10 senior IAS officers have also been appointed as voter list observers to ensure a transparent, accurate and error-free revision of the electoral roll in the state.

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“No name can be deleted without notice and a speaking order by the ERO/assistant ERO. Any aggrieved elector may appeal to the District Collector and thereafter to the CEO under the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Volunteers are also being trained to assist electors in filing appeals,” said the CEO.