Bhubaneswar: As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha is set to commence on July 1, the opposition BJD has established a panel of senior leaders to oversee the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across various assembly segments.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik issued an office order stating that the party’s state-level team will supervise the appointment of BLAs in all assembly constituencies, including their training, capacity building, and other related tasks.
The six-member panel includes prominent leaders such as Pramila Mallik, Niranjan Pujari, Pratap Jena, Sasmit Patra, Bhrugu Baxipatra, and Bijay Nayak.
“The state-level monitoring team will promptly start assessing the status of BLA appointments and training in all constituencies and will report to the BJD president weekly. This order is effective immediately,” the directive noted.
Previously, in a petition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, BJD MP Sasmit Patra, who is also part of the newly formed panel, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to implement measures ensuring a transparent, accurate, and error-free SIR process in Odisha.
The opposition party called on the ECI to ensure that any proposed deletions are supported by thorough, documented, and verifiable field inquiries as per established procedures. They also requested adequate advance notice and a reasonable opportunity for every elector facing deletion to respond, as well as enhanced supervision and monitoring in areas experiencing high rates of deletions or objections.
Additionally, the BJD leader emphasized the need for accessible, timely, and citizen-friendly grievance redressal mechanisms for affected voters, along with transparency through regular public disclosures of constituency-wise progress and categories of corrections or deletions. Outreach efforts aimed at vulnerable and remote populations, including elderly voters, tribal communities, migrant workers, women, and persons with disabilities, were also highlighted.
The party further urged the ECI to coordinate effectively with recognized political parties and Booth Level Agents to minimize discrepancies and bolster public confidence in the SIR process, as well as to consider deploying dedicated review or observer teams in Odisha during critical phases of the SIR exercise.
“Timely preventive and corrective measures at this stage would significantly reinforce public confidence in the integrity, inclusiveness, and credibility of the electoral process,” Patra stated.
