Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan announced that he has instructed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to conduct a thorough verification before deleting the names of around 980,000 voters from the electoral rolls. The CEO specifically requested that the scrutiny of 200,000 individuals who have filed complaints about wrongful removal be paused. An official noted that at least 50 percent of these cases should be verified.
In response to a significant number of complaints, Gopalan directed EROs across all districts to properly verify the electoral list. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have identified approximately 980,000 names statewide for deletion due to reasons such as death and changes in residence.
Gopalan clarified that while BLOs have reported on absent voters, they do not have the authority to delete names from the electoral rolls; this responsibility lies with the EROs. He mentioned that typically, between 700,000 and 900,000 names are removed from the lists each year in Odisha due to similar reasons. However, this year, around 980,000 names are under review as the BLOs have commenced mapping ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties, including BJD and Congress, expressed astonishment at the deletion of nearly 1 million voters from the electoral rolls prior to the SIR. “Although it is common for 700,000 voters to be deleted annually in Odisha, this year has seen an increase of 300,000 deletions. There are concerns that even more names may be removed during the SIR,” stated BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra during a press conference.
Mishra added that a BJD delegation had met with the Election Commission of India on August 19, 2025, to voice their concerns. “We specifically requested that the names of individuals who migrate outside the state for work should not be removed from the voter list,” he said.
BJD’s Deputy Leader in the Odisha Assembly, Prasanna Acharya, accused the authorities of deleting names based on political affiliations. “The voters’ list is being prepared with political biases, and this needs immediate rectification. We urge the government and the ECI to resolve these concerns to protect citizens’ voting rights,” Acharya stated.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das called for the electoral roll to be prepared in consultation with the booth level agents of political parties. “We demand a transparent voter list,” Das insisted.
A letter from Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary Sushanta Kumar Mishra to the EROs indicated, “I am directed to inform that approximately 980,000 deletions have been carried out by the EROs since the start of the elector mapping process. However, numerous complaints have been received regarding wrongful deletions, including cases where electors were confirmed present and instances where BLOs did not conduct field visits or proper verification prior to deletions.”
The ACEO also instructed the EROs to hold off on processing Form-7 (used for voter deletions) for about 200,000 individuals, as per the CEO’s directives. They were further advised to carry out a comprehensive verification for deletions, particularly concerning deceased voters.
In March, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly that approximately 768,000 names were deleted from June 2025 to March 22 of this year. The CEO’s office has set up a toll-free helpline (1950) for voters to check their names on the lists, file complaints, or seek assistance, according to an official.
