The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the publication of the draft electoral roll for Odisha, revealing that more than 20 lakh electors were excluded from the voters’ list after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, R.S. Gopalan, disclosed this information during a press conference in Bhubaneswar. The draft electoral roll, which was frozen on May 20 with 3,33,99,591 registered voters, now stands at 3,13,87,034 after the exclusion of the mentioned electors, including 1.60 crore male, 1.53 crore female, and 2,775 transgender voters.
Elaborating on the omitted electors, Gopalan detailed that 8.32 lakh names were removed due to being deceased, 10.07 lakh for shifting or untraceability, 1.58 lakh for duplicate enrollments, and around 14,000 for non-submission of enumeration forms. In total, 20.14 lakh names were left out from the draft electoral roll. Voters who find their names missing can raise claims, objections, or complaints within the 30-day period starting from Sunday until August 4. The disposal of claims and objections will be processed from July 5 to September 2, with the final electoral roll set to be published on September 6, 2026.
Acknowledging the efforts of various officials, Gopalan credited the successful completion of this phase to the collaborative work of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), District Electoral Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and other personnel involved. He highlighted the active participation of seven political parties and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in the exercise. Gopalan urged voters to verify their inclusion in the electoral roll through designated channels and submit necessary forms if their names are absent.
