Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan Monday said he has asked EROs to undertake a proper verification before names of about 9.8 lakh voters are deleted from the electoral rolls.
The CEO has specifically asked them to put on hold the scrutiny of 2 lakh people who have lodged complaints of wrongful removal from the electoral roll. It is also directed to verify at least 50 per cent of the cases, an official said.
Following receipt of large-scale complaints, the CEO asked the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) of all districts to conduct proper verification of the list. The BLOs have identified around 9.8 lakh names across the state for deletion from the rolls on account of deaths and shifting of residences.
Gopalan said that the BLOs have submitted their reports on absent voters. However, the Booth Level Officers are not authorised to delete names from the electoral rolls. The EROs will take decision in this regard, he said.
The CEO said that usually, 7 to 9 lakh names are deleted from the lists every year in Odisha on account of deaths and shifting of residences. However, this time, around 9.8 lakh people have come under the scanner as the BLOs have already started the mapping process ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, he said.
Meanwhile, opposition BJD and Congress expressed surprise at the deletion of about 10 lakh voters from the electoral roll ahead of the SIR.
“Though usually, 7 lakh voters are deleted from the list annually in Odisha, this time three lakh more people have been removed from the list. There is apprehension that more voters’ names may be deleted during the SIR,” BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra told reporters at a press conference.
Mishra said a BJD delegation had met the Election Commission of India and expressed concerns on this issue on August 19, 2025. “We had specifically urged that the names of people who migrate outside the state for work should not be removed from the voter list,” Mishra said.
BJD’s deputy leader in Odisha Assembly, Prasanna Acharya, alleged that the people are being deleted from the list keeping in view their political affiliation.
“The voter list is being prepared on political line and it should be rectified immediately. We urge the government and the ECI to address these doubts and ensure that the voting rights of citizens are not compromised,” Acharya said.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das demanded that the electoral roll should be prepared taking BLA (booth level agents) of political parties into confidence. “We demand a transparent voter list,” Das said.
A letter issued by Additional Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Special Secretary Sushanta Kumar Mishra to the EROs stated, “I am directed to inform that approximately 9.8 lakh deletions have been carried out by the EROs since the commencement of the elector mapping process. However, a substantial number of complaints have been received regarding wrongful deletion of names, including cases where electors were found to be present and instances where BLOs had neither conducted field visits nor carried out proper verification prior to deletion.”
ACEO also asked the EROs to put on hold the Form-7 (on which the voters are deleted) of around 2 lakh people as per the instructions of the СЕО, Odisha. They were also told to undertake a thorough verification for deletions, particularly for deceased voters, the letter said.
In March, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had informed the assembly that approximately 7.68 lakh names were deleted from June 2025 to March 22 this year.
The CEO’s office has activated a toll-free helpline (1950) for voters to check whether their names are on the lists or not, raise complaints or seek assistance, an official said.
PTI
