Bhubaneswar: Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 58 lakh voters of Odisha to submit their identity documents afresh as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision due to some issues, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R S Gopalan said.
Of these 58 lakh voters, 12 lakh people did not have their names on the 2002 voters’ list, and those were added later, while “minor discrepancies” were detected in the entries of 46 lakh voters, Gopalan told reporters.
“There is a very small chance of deletion for the 46 lakh voters since only minor mistakes were detected in their personal details. However, if any of the remaining 12 lakh voters are found ineligible, his/her name will be permanently deleted from the electoral roll,” the CEO said.
“We have already issued notices to 7.93 lakh voters, and the hearing for 1.42 lakh voters is complete. Notices have been prepared, and distribution through BLOs is in progress for the remaining voters,” he said.
The aggrieved voters can submit their objections or claims using Form-6, 6A, 7 and 8, and they can submit 13 different documents, such as a passport, birth certificate, matric certificate, land patta, Aadhaar card, etc, the CEO said.
It is not mandatory for voters to be present during the hearing of grievances or objections. As many voters are also staying outside the state and abroad, they can submit relevant documents to the BLOs. If further verification is required, the BLO will make a video call to the concerned voter, he stated.
Based on the documents and information obtained, the electoral registration officer will determine the eligibility of the concerned voter, and accordingly, the final electoral roll will be published September 6, he added.
Over 20 lakh names have been deleted from the draft electoral roll published July 5. They can also move the ECI with their claims and objections, but that is a separate issue.
The state had 3.33 crore voters when the electoral roll was frozen May 20. The roll now features 3.13 crore voters.
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