BHUBANESWAR: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the names of a large number of voters are being deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The party, while addressing a press conference held here on Monday, said that similar concerns regarding large-scale deletions are now emerging in Odisha as well. Speaking at the press conference, senior party Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra noted that the Election Commission carries out revision of electoral rolls every year in January. However, in this year’s annual revision exercise, more than 1 million voters have reportedly been removed from the electoral rolls in Odisha.
He stated that typically, around 700,000 voters are deleted during this process annually, but the removal of an additional 300,000 voters this year has raised serious questions about how such a large number of deletions could have taken place within a short span of time. He further added that, in this context, with the SIR expected to be conducted in Odisha, there is growing apprehension that more voters’ names may be deleted from the rolls.
The senior BJD leader also noted that the SIR was last conducted in Odisha in 2002. He further added that on August 19, 2025, a BJD delegation had met the Election Commission of India and expressed concerns on this issue. The party had specifically urged the ECI that the names of people who migrate outside the state for work or livelihood should not be removed from the voters’ list. (IANS)