Bhubaneswar, September 21: More than 20 lakh names have been deleted from Odisha’s final electoral roll following the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan said.
According to the CEO, a total of 20,12,557 electors were removed from the final electoral roll, reducing the electorate from 3,33,99,591 to 3,13,87,034.
The deletions were carried out on several grounds, including deaths, voters shifting from their registered addresses, absence, and multiple registrations.
Reasons for Deletion
Of the names removed from the electoral roll, around 8.32 lakh were identified as deceased voters, CEO Gopalan said.
Another 10.07 lakh names were removed after voters were found to have shifted from their registered addresses or were absent during the verification process.
The revision also resulted in the removal of approximately 1.58 lakh duplicate entries involving multiple registrations.
In addition, around 14,441 voters did not return their enumeration forms to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Current Electorate
Following the revision, Odisha has3,13,87,034 registered electors. The updated electorate comprises:
Voters Can Seek Restoration of Names
Citizens can check their names in the electoral roll through their local Booth Level Officer (BLO), the ECINET mobile application, or the Voter Service Portal.
Those whose names have been omitted can submit Form 6, along with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, either through their BLO or online.
The Election Commission has also reiterated that deletion of an elector’s name is subject to due process. According to the stated procedure, specific notice must be issued and an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) must pass a speaking order before a name is deleted.
Voters who are aggrieved by the decision retain the right to appeal before the District Collector and subsequently the Chief Electoral Officer.
