Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Opposition BJD Wednesday expressed shock at a newspaper report claiming over 13 crore names were struck off draft rolls across 30 states and UTs during the SIR, and demanded an investigation into the matter.
The statement came after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders of the EC, including on addition, deletion and restoration of voters and changes to the voter registration process.
The entire nation, including us, is shocked when questions are being raised about the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission. It is certainly not good for a vibrant democracy, BJD spokesperson Dr Lenin Mohanty told PTI.
The BJD was defeated by the BJP in the 2024 Assembly elections after ruling the state for 24 years.
Mohanty said, An investigation is required as 13 crore names have been allegedly struck off the draft voter rolls in 30 states and union territories.
He said the BJD has already questioned the transparency of the SIR process in which about 25 lakh voters have been excluded in Odisha.
Even after the 2024 elections, we had complained to the EC regarding discrepancies in polls, Mohanty said.
BJD senior general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra claimed that before the 2024 elections, the number of voters in Odisha was 3.26 crore. During the election, it increased to 3.32 crore. A few days after the election, the number of voters increased further to 3.36 crore. By 2025, it had reached 3, 40,72,744, he pointed out.
However, before the commencement of the SIR process, the CEO Office mapped only 3.16 crore voters. Approximately 25 lakh voters were not mapped and were excluded before the beginning of the SIR, he said and asking why the Chief Electoral Officer did not map such a large number of voters.
Odisha’s CEO R S Gopalan Monday had released the state’s final electoral roll in the SIR and put the state’s voter figure at 3.16 crore. Names of around 20 lakh electors have been deleted in Odisha after completion of the SIR of electoral rolls in the state.
Meanwhile, taking to X, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das said, What LoP Shri @RahulGandhi insisted on was not just a political allegation but a reality. Those involved in illegally deleting the names of 13 crore voters must be held accountable. (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar should face the wrath of the law.
